Thought for the Week
A new year looms, and we ponder the road ahead, a road that existed long before we arrived and will continue long after we are gone. Yet each of us has a role to play in this epic journey. Here are a few favorite quotes about facing the future:
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
~J.R.R. Tolkien
No matter how closely we to stick to our plans, we’ll come to unexpected forks, and choices will have to be made:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost
But will those choices matter? Yes, they will:
“You can’t control your fate by refusing to make choices! I didn’t discover my destiny until I faced my circumstances. Fate is about making choices you don’t want to make; that’s what decides your destiny!”
Putting it more positively:
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own
And you know what you know.
And you are the one who’ll
Decide where to go.
~
But how do we choose? May I humbly suggest we seek the one who made the Road?
“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth. We are phantoms, bustling about in vain, heaping up wealth without knowing who will get it. So now, Lord, where should I place my hope? I place my hope in you.”
~Psalm 39:4-7
At the end of The Once and Future King, King Arthur faces near-certain defeat. And yet, he ponders,
“The fate of this man or that man was less than a drop, although it was a sparkling one, in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea. The cannons of his adversary were thundering in the tattered morning when the Majesty of England drew himself up to meet the future with a peaceful heart.”
~T.H. White
A peaceful heart comes from knowing it’s not about you, but that you have a crucial role to play, nevertheless. So face the future with confidence…
And let your drop shine!
Happy 2024 Mitch to you and yours!
Thank you, and likewise, Gregory!
May we all navigate the coming year living in confidence, courage, and conviction, knowing that our faithful God will deliver us through every season.
Happy New Year!
Amen, and the same to you, Scott!
A Very Happy New Year Mitch! , 🎉🎈
Thank you, and likewise, Ramani!
Thanks for the tools, Mitch. Happy New Year!
My pleasure, Carolyn, and Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year, Mitch!
And Happy New Year to you, Kelley!
Great quotes Mitch.
Happy New Year and may God bless you
with an awesome 2024!
Likewise, Jeanne, and Happy New Year to you!
Comment above. Forgot to sign in!
It’s amazing how our lives are so ephemeral but so important to God.
It is indeed, Priscilla. Amazing grace.
Mitch these are wonderful 2024 inspirations!!!
So glad you enjoyed them, Mary!
Great quotes, good thoughts to ponder as we look to the new year.
So glad you enjoyed them, Belinda.
Thanks for this word, Mitch. I thought you might like to read this one… https://estherspetition.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/holy-spirit-trail-guide/
As you can see it was originally posted in 2016. I’ve reposted it once since then, but the word is good any time, any year. And this year of 2024 we will definitely need a supernatural Trail Guide, I do believe.
Happy New Year from Florence, SC, USA!
Bette Cox
Excellent, Bette! I see I liked that post back in 2016–and still do. There’s is no better trail guide–period. And Happy New Year to you, btw!
Great quotations. I really like the last one by T.H. White. Looking at my last 81 years has been an amazing eye opener for me. Looking ahead to eternity is all that’s important now. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Thank you, my eternal friend, and to you and yours as well.
Dr Seuss is brain candy. 🙂
;>)
Happy New Year, Mitch!
You too, Liz!
Thanks, Mitch!
Wise quotes. Liking that snowy image.
Beautiful reminders. Happy new year Mitch!
You too, Alegria!
This is brilliant, Mitch! Amen, hurray, and let’s face it~the future that is! We’re in good hands…and HE expects us to do our part so thank you for always encouraging me! Happy New Year, again, my friend! I enjoy your gift of writing so much!💛
Aw, bless you, dear friend. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Proverbs 16:9 KJV
A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
The will of man acts only according to his nature and the nature of man is evil only continuely… Genesis 6:5
verse 9
A beautiful blend of my favorite authors and books! 👏🏼🫶🏻
The Pslam particularly resonates with me this morning.
Such a beautiful Psalm, thank you Mitch. Happy new year to you and your loved ones!
Likewise, Janet!
Happy to see Seuss skipped annihilation by the cancellers. May the Spirit of Guidance ring clearly in your heart as you journey though the new year.
Likewise, Jon.
So true reminds me of a poem I wrote the falling out of two brothers all over land reunited in the end one stated to the other land was there long before our time long dead we shall be and it still wont be yours or mine and it reminds me that we should live in the here and now for no one knows whether their road is long or short I hope I made some sense in saying this liked your post
Made sense to me, Lauretta. “For no one knows whether their road is long or short” indeed.
I loved everything about The Once and Future King ~ the way the writing style matured, and then aged, with the character, and especially Morgaine’s meditation at the end that any moment of peace, beauty and serenity won here below is indeed a significant victory.
One of my favorite books of all time.
Thought ful
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