Fresh Hope From a Tragic Season In a Typical Year

Any year, as it concludes, brings about a reflection with many shards of memory redoubled in the perception for what has been experienced.

The annus horribilis (Latin for “horrible year”) has been made famous by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 and United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in 2004. The latter was unfortunate. A “horrible year” it wasn’t so much that preceded the biggest humanitarian disaster, the Boxing Day tsunami, only five days later.

But the annus horribilis phenomenon doesn’t really gel. Who can say a present year is a bad one when the next one might be worse? Someone could say we have had an annus horribilis. From a worldly standpoint they’d be right; but not in God’s sight.

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My 2014:

January: the problem was back pain, which 2013 ended with.

February: the living and daily mantra was “head down, bottom up” to rally within an injustice.

March: new life was conceived; later our stillborn son, Nathanael Marcus.

April: released! From a vocational calling (the church I was serving at) which meant I had to look for another call.

May: calm before the storm. Two storms, actually. The calm was actually a deception. Things were not as calm as they seemed.

June: first storm hits. It came to blow suddenly on June 26 and didn’t abate until mid-September. Horrible month, but July would not be any better...

July: tragic news. Our baby’s condition in utero was perilous and he would soon be lost.

August: time to be brave. In two ways: the imminent loss of our son and courage needed when under fire.

September: preparation month in preparation for...

October: life experiences! Journeying through life-changing drama pertaining to one person very dear to us, as well as the loss of our son.

November: saying goodbye to Nathanael Marcus, formally at his funeral on November 7.

December: new beginnings emerging at a new church in 2015.

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As God is not partial, neither are the years partial. It’s only our perception that gives way to the idea that some years are more horrible than others.

We certainly have tragic seasons, but the years are all oh so typical in the overall scheme of things.

Whatever has been your experience of 2014, hold it sacred as a special and unique year that transformed you in growth. Even the fact you are reading this means there is much cause for true celebration.

Every year we are given and that we have is blessed.

© 2015 S. J. Wickham.