“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls…” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” Proverbs 4:25–26 (NIV)
As we step into a new year, many of us find ourselves standing at a meaningful crossroads. There is hope in the air—a sense that something new is possible—but also often a quiet weight carried from the year behind us. The start of a new year can sometimes feel like an in-between space, where reflection and anticipation sit side by side. The transition to a new year is not just a calendar change; it is an invitation from God to pause, reflect, and then move forward with intention, values, and a clear vision.
Why do we need to reflect on our year
- Looking back is not only natural but also necessary.
- Scripture, counselling, and lived experience all affirm that reflection is a vital part of growth.
- We look back to learn, to grow, and to heal.
- We look back to recognise where God has been faithful, where we have been stretched, and where wounds or painful losses still need care & attention.
- Healing often requires us to gently revisit the past, name what did or didn’t happen, and allow God’s truth, grace and oil of Gilead to meet us there.
There is, however, a crucial difference between looking back to heal and looking back to live. This distinction is powerfully illustrated in the story of Lot’s wife in Genesis 19. God, in His mercy, gave a clear instruction to Lot and his family: flee the city and it’s wickedness and do not look back. While Lot and his daughters continued forward, Lot’s wife looked back, and Scripture tells us that moment marked a turning point.
How to use the act of reflection well
Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Scripture does not provide details about her thoughts, but her actions are often understood as a moment of longing, attachment, or reluctance to leave behind her former life.
It is important to approach this story with compassion. Lot’s wife was leaving behind familiarity, relationships, and a life she knew well. Her looking back was likely yearning and attachment. She may have been grieving what she thought she was losing or struggling to trust God with His calling her out and forward, even though God had supernaturally intervened to save her and her family.
Her response reflects a human struggle we can all recognise: when God calls us forward, our hearts may struggle to trust and may still be attached to what feels known and comfortable, even if it is unhealthy, unsustainable, or just the end of that season.
The lesson here is not that looking back and reflection are wrong, but that remaining anchored to and holding on to things of the past can prevent us from stepping fully into God’s future. When we look back without moving forward, the past can become a place of familiarity that feels more comfortable than the unknown. It is the regret, bitterness, longing, or unwillingness to experience the uncomfortable that quietly shape our decisions. As the new year begins, an important question arises:
What do I need to learn from the past, what do I need to release, and what do I need to pick up so I can move forward as I am called?
Releasing is not forgetting, giving up, or giving in. It is an act of surrender. It may mean releasing unforgiveness, self-blame, shame, or fear. It may mean letting go of old identities that no longer reflect who God says you are, or expectations, hopes and dreams that belonged to a previous season of life.
This is a sacred and deeply meaningful process. Healthy growth involves honouring your whole story—acknowledging it with courage and humility—and allowing even painful experiences to be integrated into your future, often becoming a source of post-traumatic growth. God does not waste what we have lived through; He redeems it. At the same time, He does not call us to remain in places He has already led us out of.
Like Lot’s family, we are invited to trust that what lies ahead for this next year, though still unknown, is safely and lovingly held in God’s hands.
This is where values and vision become essential companions for our journey forward.
- Values are the spiritual and moral principles that guide our lives—faith, obedience, compassion, humility, courage, and love. They help us make decisions that align with God’s heart rather than our fears. When values are clear, they ground us during seasons of transition.
- Vision, on the other hand, gives us direction. Proverbs reminds us that without vision, people cast off restraint. Another translation says the people perish. Vision is not about having every detail mapped out; it is about discerning who and what God is calling you to in this next season. Vision grows as we listen, pray, and take faithful steps forward—even when clarity comes gradually.
As a seasoned counsellor, I see the greatest transformation happen when people allow God to meet them in both reflection and release. Looking back with God brings insight, healing, and release. Moving forward with God brings freedom, a sense of purpose and anointed empowerment.
As you step into this new year, I invite you to:-
- Reflect honestly on the season you are leaving behind (consider what was great, ok, hard, healthy, unhealthy etc)
- Ask God what He wants you to learn from it.
- Then, with courage and trust, ask Him what needs to be released so you can move forward unencumbered.
- Enquire of Him what needs to be added for the journey ahead.
- Seek His words for you and anchor yourself in the values He gives you that reflect Christ; do this by identifying 7 values for this next year and order them in prayerful priority (you can google “values” for ideas and see which ones God lays on your heart.
- Ask Him to shape a vision through these values that draws you closer to wholeness and His purposes for you.
- Ask Him to lead you to the Scripture verses that He wants to anchor you in for this vision and the next season.
- Prayerfully share with one or two trusted people and ask for their prayer covering – offer to reciprocate this prayer support during the year.
The God who calls us forward is patient, compassionate, and faithful. He walks with us as we remember, heal, and then step into what is new. May this year be one where you look back with wisdom—but move forward with faith, hope and love.
Heavenly Father,
As we step into this new year, we thank You for walking with us through every season we have known. We bring You our past—the lessons, the losses, the growth, and the healing still in process—and we trust You to redeem it all. Give us wisdom to learn from what has been, courage to release what no longer serves Your purposes, and faith to move forward where You are leading. Align our hearts with Your values, clarify our vision, and help us to trust You with what lies ahead. May we enter this new season with hope, obedience, and peace, knowing that You go before us and remain beside us.
“Be strong and courageous; do not be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you…….The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:6,8)
Amen.
If you need extra support, please reach out – it is my honour to offer confidential and Christ-centred counselling and EAP (Employee Assistance Program) services for those navigating stress, overwhelm, grief, trauma and personal challenges. You don’t have to carry your load alone.