A Not-So-Fond Farewell and Foreboding Welcome

“But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.”
– 2 Peter 3.8

“But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
– Luke 12.7

Thankfully, God does not count days like we do. While God is more present in each moment than we can imagine (Luke 12), God does not turn the page from a 2016 and look forward to a 2017 as we do (2 Peter 3). To be honest 2016 was a rough year.

Sure, it had its highs: Witnessing growth and maturity with my children, finding continued joy with Chantal (despite some rough patches), and some great accomplishments at work. But the lows seemed to dominate 2016: Unsettling turmoil that shook the foundations of my place of work, a disheartening turn of events that caused deep concern at the school where Chantal works and our children attend, evident and deep divisions that brought great turmoil in our regional and national community, and the movement of disturbing forces at work in the international community.

Because of these layers of turmoil, I chose to become quiet. I simply couldn’t say much about all that was happening at Baylor and Live Oak even though there was much that I wanted to say. When it came to national and international tensions, I discovered quickly that the discursive spaces I thought could generate thoughtful and productive engagement devolved into polarized echo chambers where people talked past one another and were beyond the possibility of thoughtful engagement. Thus, I kept most of my thoughts to myself – sharing carefully among a small, trusted circle of friends and colleagues. The situations at play within each of these arenas of my life damaged my confidence in people – even good people – and left me deeply concerned for the future.

So, here at the onset of 2017, I face the new year with a fundamental hope in God’s Providence and Care. However, I bring with this confidence a deep sense of foreboding that what I experienced in 2016 is only the beginning of a difficult road ahead. Regarding Baylor, the seismic shifts that have rocked our community will continue to play out, bringing substantial changes that will have a broad ranging impact across the institution.  Nationally, while I have confidence our presidential transition will be generally peaceful, what will come in its wake will be fraught with tensions like we have not experienced in decades. Internationally, the transition of power in the U.S. and the U.K. in conjunction with the way things are shaking out with Russia, the Middle East and the Far East do not bode well for peaceful cooperation. In fact, the isolationist trend sweeping the globe promises a great deal of international turmoil and instability.

I know that God is bigger than all the “principalities and powers” at work in these layers of my reality, but they remain real and have me facing 2017 with a very cautious sense of hope that, unfortunately, falls far short of optimism. I am planning to be less silent in the coming year, hoping that I can contribute something helpful, productive and hopeful as we move forward together.

So, farewell 2016 and an apprehensive welcome to 2017. May we seek in this New Year to live out God’s self-emptying love toward one another and may those very words and actions shape us into people who can reach forward into broader communities of influence and bring Shalom amidst great turmoil.