A Fresh Canvas
A clean slate. A blank page. A fresh canvas.
For the teacher, the writer, the artist, each image evokes a new beginning. Nothing yet exists until the chalk, the pen, or the brush are wielded and what was not is brought into reality.
January 1 for many marks a fresh start on a new year.
What will I create?
Will my life make a difference in 2022?
Perhaps you’ve seen the story of the Finnish architect Pasi Widgren. For the sixth consecutive year he has gone to frozen Lake Pitkajarvi with a shovel. On a totally blank “canvas” of snow he somehow manages to “draw” large-scale images of animals. This year’s creation is an almost-300-foot-tall fox.[1]
My first thought is, That’s impressive! I admire that talent.
My second thought is, I’m glad he brought along a camera. The next snow or windstorm will erase the work entirely.
The same is true of ice sculptures of course, which often melt away in hours. And who has not enjoyed building a sandcastle at the beach only to watch it swept under by the incoming tide?
It’s one thing to lose a few minutes’ work – or hours, in Mr. Widgren’s case, I expect. But what about a year of one’s fleeting life?
We want the year ahead to be meaningful.
So we plan.
We resolve.
Boy, do we resolve! New Year’s resolutions abound in the first week of January. Personal, family, and business goals are charted. Some may be met in 2022. Many others will not.
Some of us hesitate to put anything in ink when planning for the future. If Covid has taught us anything (and we certainly hope we’ve learned some things from the pandemic), it’s that flexibility is essential when facing an uncertain future.
Scripture gives us two perspectives about the future:
Consider the ant (Proverbs 6:6) – don’t be lazy! It is prudent to work diligently and plan ahead.
Consider the birds (Matthew 6:26) – don’t fret! Trust the Lord to care for your needs.
Jesus gives further focus in the story of “a certain rich man” whose farming ventures yielded a massive crop.
And he began reasoning to himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry’” (Luke 12:17-19).[2]
Who of us at the end of 2022 would not love to look back at our investments with such results? Talk about planning ahead for retirement!
But notice the pronounced “I” in this passage. Self-will, self-congratulations, self-centeredness are easily seen. He even “reasons to himself” in plotting his course.
It’s not the planning but the purpose that evokes the response of the Almighty to the rich man.
But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (Luke 12:20-21).
As we embark on this new year, let’s begin with the acknowledgement that none of us is promised tomorrow. Our lives are but a vapor. Like withering grass or a picture drawn in snow, we are here then gone.
What’s even 100 years in light of eternity? How many generations back can we even name our forebears, much less tell their stories?
Let’s also acknowledge God’s sovereignty in the affairs of life. “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
I’ve learned God is under no obligation to approve my plans. The much wiser course is to ask, “Lord, what do YOU want?”
This works best when immediately followed by, “You already have my ‘Yes;’ I just need to know Your will.”
As the Psalmist says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (37:5).
Each new day of 2022 God graciously grants will bring a fresh start. May the Lord help us fill each calendar page as directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Happy New Year indeed!!
Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
1. What is the Lord asking you to plan for 2022?
2. What is the Lord asking you to stop worrying about and hand over to Him?
Endnotes:
[1] https://nypost.com/2021/12/14/finland-architects-ephemeral-lake-art-a-winter-tradition/.
[2] Scripture quotes are from the 1995 New American Standard Bible, used by permission of the Lockman Foundation.