What will you remember 2020 for? I guess the main thing will be COVID-19 as it has affected all our lives in different ways – you may not have been able to work, you may have been a key worker, or you may have had to shield being just a few examples. You won’t have been able to run your Girls’ Brigade groups or physically attend worship in a church building for many months. Holidays have been missed. Hugs, kisses to family and friends have been taken away from us.
Maybe there have also been positive experiences for you. Perhaps you’ve learnt a new skill or hobby, taken some much needed time for self-care and wellbeing, or have done Girls’ Brigade in a different way. But, all in all, I’m sure many of us will be pleased to say goodbye to 2020.
Isaiah Ch.43:18-19 (NIV) tells us to ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.’
What hopes and expectations do you have for 2021? A new year brings a new dawn and a new spring. I hope and pray that you’ll watch and wait for signs of hope – to be a beacon of light to your communities and be able to bring hope to others, especially to the young people and their families in your GB groups. May God lead you in 2021 to clear pastures. Thank you for your hard work, dedication and commitment to the young people in your groups, and for all you do.
I wish you a Happy New Year and pray that you’ll keep well.