“A blank page is no empty space. It is brimming with potential… It is a masterpiece in waiting — yours.” (A.A. Patawaran)
The blank page… Every time that I sit down to write, I stare numbly at the page before me. I often was intimidated by the daunting task of putting pen to paper. My mind would mock me that: “It is not in you to write!”
I did come to the realization that it’s my decision as to how I view a blank page. I can either see it as a weakness where I am left feeling inadequate, or I can see it as a doorway to infinite possibilities. In the latter view, the blank page is not a negative reflection of my incompetence, but rather a doorway to reaching my potential. A blank page has endless possibilities.
The New Year – A Blank Page
As the year draws to an end, I was challenged to draw analogy between a blank page and a new year. Again, we have a choice. We can enter the new year dragging the battles of 2017 into it or we can enter it trusting God for new possibilities. However, before we can start with a blank page we need to look at the messy and full page of 2017.
We all have areas of our past which we need to deal with – our past actions do have consequences. We might have to right some wrongs, pay some debts, finish off a project we started or build a bridge in a relationship under strain. We also should learn from the past year in terms of what can we do better, where did we go wrong, or what did our hearts say we should do but we chose to ignore?
“Each New Year, we have before us a brand new book containing 365 blank pages. Let us fill them with all the forgotten things from last year—the words we forgot to say, the love we forgot to show, and the charity we forgot to offer.” (Peggy Toney Horton).
Business Planning
As a business leader, part of my annual practice is to approach the new year by rethinking my strategy. I take moments during the holiday season to pray into my business, to think about my vision for the company, to step back from the day to day bustle and plan the future. I would encourage you to do the same.
Look to the new year through the eyes of an artist, looking at a blank canvass for the first time. What dreams can you build in the new year? What possibilities can you explore? How can you better your leadership skills, to maximize the optimal potential of your team? As you read God’s Word, trust the Word to reveal to you a new strategy for impacting your world.
Spiritual Planning
Not only is this a time to see the blank page of your business life, but it is a time to look at your spiritual life. If you feel inadequate, be encouraged, because like me there are many more behind you who feel the same. I remember once reading a book about the Christian walk, where the author left a blank page in the middle of the book. He did this to illustrate that when we accept Christ into our life, He blots out all of our sin and we start afresh with a blank page.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read that: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold the new has come.” I would encourage you to take a moment to consecrate your life to Jesus during this Christmas season. We are invited by God to bring the blank pages of our spiritual journey and find rest upon Christ’s righteousness. We do not come before God on the ground of our own frail efforts with good works. When we stand at the foot of the Cross, then we are draped with Jesus’ cloak of righteousness. In the amazing grace gift of the Cross, God has transferred our sin to Jesus and conveyed His righteousness to us. This is the only ground of our acceptance before God and the transformation of our spiritual blank pages.
As we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus in December, we also celebrate the possibilities, life and hope which He brought to us. I encourage you to pray that God will do new things in your life and that you will open yourself up to new possibilities for God to write on those blank pages of your life.
About the Author: Dr Alan Louis is a third generation entrepreneur in a family with a 100-year business history. He devoted his life to Christianity as a child. Awarded a PhD in Commerce, is an Ultra Ironman Triathlete Gold medallist and was inducted in the IBC Hall of Fame for entrepreneurship. Internationally he has served on more than 100 private corporate boards, and has experienced the trials and successes of commerce for 3 decades.
