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Viewpoint from Jane Walters 30/12/2022
 Jane Walters
Jane Walters, formerly Clamp, is the author of Too Soon, a mother’s journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to Premier Radio and UCB. She is also vice-chair of the Association of Christian Writers. Jane leads creative writing retreats and is a popular speaker locally and further afield
Visit: janewyattwalters.com
Making Way for the New
I know I’m not alone in thinking that this year has sped by, at times feeling like I’ve been trying to hang onto the reins of a runaway horse. Some are saying it’s the effect of the slow, drawn-out pandemic years but, whatever the reason, it feels like 2023 is here before we’ve had chance to register
 I spent the summer fitting a new kitchen and, for several weeks, the contents of the cupboards and drawers were spread around the rest of the house. It proved an ideal opportunity for decluttering – something that I continued throughout the autumn. At first, it was excess kitchen ‘stuff’: dishes and gadgets I no longer used; but then I started clearing out my books and my clothes. An event at church had me giving away items from my treasured craft stash. No category went unscathed in my zeal
More recently, into this sense of clearing-out-the-old-to-make-way-for-the-new came a word from a lady whose ministry I follow. She asked this question: what don’t you want to take into 2023 with you? I immediately wrote it down so I could mull it over again and again and it wasn’t long before I remembered a similar situation from 2018. Back then, I’d been running an interior design business and loving the work. During the year, I’d heard and read several references to John 15, where we see the Master Gardener pruning fruiting branches as well as non-fruiting ones in His attempt to yield an even greater harvest. So, I guess it wasn’t too much of a surprise when I sensed God telling me to lay my business down. Because I tend to think visually, I had in mind trying to go into a museum with two bulging carrier-bags and being met by the chap on the desk who told me, “You can’t come through here with those”
It's all-too-easy to wake up on January 1st ready to embrace 365 days of fresh opportunity and hoping that our New Year’s resolutions will stick this time. We all know from bitter experience that willpower alone is rarely enough; but do we realise the effect that our ‘excess baggage’ is having? In my daydream, I couldn’t get through to see the beautiful artefacts beyond the turnstile because I was too heavily-laden – even though some of the things I was carrying were precious to me. Sometimes, the biggest steps we can make come through letting go. What are you holding onto that is best left at the gate of 2023? Let’s turn, “You can’t come through here with that” into “Welcome aboard!”
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