In my youth I often had older people tell me that time flies as you age. In recent years I have come to believe that, because I feel like I have been caught off guard on the ending of 2021.

This year is over. A new one starts in just two days.

As I was thinking about this Romans 13:11 came to mind, which states, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

Usually it’s the first part of this verse that grabs my attention, the part about the signs of the times and our Laodicean sleep. This time it is the last part of this verse that has my attention, the part that says that our salvation is nearer than when we first set our sight on the Savior.

Simply put, it has me considering that each passing year puts us closer to our Lord, His return, and being with Him throughout eternity.

In recent days at the hospital, it seems like I have had a lot of conversations with patients lamenting the aging process. Coping with growing old can try our spiritual wellness. Weakness, illness, maintaining mobility, and dealing with loneliness add stress to our lives as we age.

However, these adverse effects of aging ought to serve to draw us closer to the Lord as our help and strength. I think the same thing about dealing with a new year. A new calendar is a reminder that our salvation is one year nearer.

Sure, none of us knows how the new year will unfold or change our lives, but we do know that our God will be there with us. Whatever we may face, we can know that just as the Lord has led us in the past, He will lead us in the future.

So to you and yours, I say, Happy New Year!