Two years ago, I started planning to refurbish my 20-year-old kitchen and two bathrooms. I visited websites and stores, talked to numerous people, including contractors and others who had attempted such projects, and compared prices, colors, and hardware. It took months of investigation to decide what would look best and what was within my budget. I knew I could do some of the work myself but would need to hire a contractor for the more complicated parts of the project.

In choosing a countertop for my cabinets, I soon learned that the granite I wanted was more expensive than I anticipated. So, I started looking in a different direction. I priced other stone and non-stone products, but I kept returning to the granite. I wanted the light-colored granite, but the dark cost less per foot, so I chose a beautiful black with specks. My counters are lovely, but they are darker than what I wanted. In retrospect, I wish I had not settled for second best. It took four very strong men to install the countertop, so replacing it would be expensive and complicated, not at all like repainting a wall. If a friend were coming to me for advice on kitchen renewal, I would tell my friend to wait a year, save more money, and then purchase your first choice. 

We have many choices that we will make in 2024. Some of them will be more significant than choosing wall or cabinet colors. (I have two friends who have decided to get married, and another has decided to move. These are life-changing choices.) Other choices will have little significance. Some choices will require a daily commitment of time and energy. Possibly you, like me, would like to read God’s Word through again this year. This means a daily practice of setting aside time to read the Bible. I would like to be better committed to my health. To do this, I must set aside time each day to walk or exercise.

The apostle Paul gives us insightful instructions about making choices for the future: “But one thing I do Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). Some of last year’s choices may have caused problems for you and others, but God asks us to repent and look forward, not dwell in the past. Last year could have been the best year of your life, but still our instructions are to forget what happened in the past and look forward to the future.

God has a new plan for each of us in 2024, and He has also promised to help us with each choice. He does not leave us floundering in indecision. Nearly 3,000 years ago, Solomon wrote these words of wisdom: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). May our choices in this new year be in line with His will and His ways.