When I was in grade school and we began to learn about ancient gods and mythology, I was really
fascinated with the Roman god Janus. He was the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, and
passages—among other associations. He is usually depicted as having two faces. Since the month of
January is named for Janus, he seems to be the perfect image for the beginning of every year…one face
looking backward and the other face
looking forward.
And don’t we do that when another new year rolls around, look back to see what has happened and what
we have accomplished. And, then we look forward to determine if we can do better and usually we
make some resolutions to help us maintain the good things we do and perhaps accomplish some new
goals.
In January 2022 our Prophet, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell
M. Nelson gave us some wise counsel.
- First, resolve to strengthen your spiritual foundation. This may involve setting a specific time and place to study the scriptures, praying more often, making temple worship a bigger priority, and letting God prevail in all aspects of your life.
- Second, resolve to be kind to others. When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate contention in our lives. So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow to judge, and be quick to forgive.
- Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to “wax strong in the Spirit” (Mosiah 18:26).
Even though it was two years ago, I appreciate the simple wisdom of President Nelson’s direction and
am using it to look backward this January 2024 to see how I did before and what I can do better going
forward in my personal life and my associations with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, my family, and the
people I encounter every day.
I invite you to use President Nelson’s words to form a template for your own “looking
backward/looking forward” as you begin a
fresh page in your book of life, too.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
