Looking Back: Reflecting on 2022
As we prepare to celebrate the beginning of a new year, we must be faithful to finish this one. So, rather than rushing to the future, we start by reflecting on the past and remembering. There were things we encountered that brought joy and others that prompted tears - circumstances that evoked celebration and contentment while others elicited pain and loss. Every encounter left a mark; every experience left us different in some way. Yet, all of it, both the good and the bad, mattered because God wastes nothing.
Contrary to the famous saying, we don't learn from experience; we learn when we take the time to reflect on our experience. Contemplating on this past year opens our eyes to how it shaped our character, transformed our hearts, and stretched our faith. God's presence was with us in every high and every low. Evidence of His faithfulness, provision, and care sprinkled throughout it all - we just need to slow down long enough to notice. As we leave behind a year of joy and trials, we give thanks because they brought us here, to this place and this moment. They left an imprint on us, so we will ponder their influence.
Finished things are usable things. On the long journey to becoming more in the image of Christ, the past year is worth a visit, but not a place we want to stay. Some of us need to hear that 2022 was a chapter of our story, not the whole tale. By first looking backward, we gain greater clarity for the journey ahead, which enables us to step confidently into the future. Instead of being weighed down by the past and dragging it into tomorrow, we can grab hold of the wisdom learned while leaving the shame, regrets, and where they belong - behind us. We worship a God of fresh starts and new beginnings, so as we remember 2022, He gives us wisdom to see the significance of these days while providing us with courage not to bear its weight, allowing our past to become a beautiful part of our future.
Read the verse below twice, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, circle words or phrases that speak to you. Then, try to rewrite it in your own words.
Psalm 77:11-12 (The Message)
Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders;
I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.
Now, take out your phone. (Yes, we are asking you to use it for this first question and then we encourage you to put it away for the rest of the retreat.) Scroll through your Instagram profile or phone’s album and look through the photographs from the past year.
Spend some time reflecting on the following questions:
What stood out to you about this year? What emotions, thoughts, and memories are you experiencing right now?
Complete the following sentence: 2022 was _________. What makes you describe the past year in this way?
In what ways did you experience God’s faithfulness and provision in 2022?