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A living dog is better than a dead lion

“But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.” Ecclesiastes 9:4.

We are at the tail end of the year and at this time people go through a myriad of emotions. Some are sad, some are happy, some are frustrated, and some are nonchalant. What are you going through as this year grinds to a halt?

“We are in the home stretch of the year, and while it can feel like a time of celebration, it can also bring a feeling of ambiguity about ourselves, our work, and our direction. We are not quite at an end and not quite a beginning. It’s a time when projects are coming to an end, when we may revisit our wishlist for the year and spot the ideas or plans we may have left unmet, we might be rushing to complete overhanging items on our to do lists, and ask ourselves big questions about the direction of our careers in the looming New Year. We may feel the strain of having to push through on our physical or mental health.” Madeleine Dore

Many people’s reaction to the end of the year is negative. Many people look back at the year and feel drained. They have over-exerted themselves and have little to show for it. Their input does not justify their output. They have ended the year in deficit. They have ended the year in a loss.

The end of many things, especially the year always comes with critical review and many people are critically unfair judges over their lives so the verdict of the year is usually damning. They find themselves guilty of many errors and therefore label themselves as failures. Their verdict leads to disappointment in themselves.

‘Mentally, this time of year can also lead to disappointment and self-criticism. Perhaps there are goals that we never got around to, things that we’ve tried and “failed” or we haven’t achieved all that we hoped we would. These feelings naturally come to the foreground in December as we consider how our year has unfolded and what we’ve accomplished, and can weigh us down with heavy hearts.” Kayla Robertson.

“It is natural that we might react harshly for goals that were not achieved; understand that beating yourself up (harshly criticizing yourself) does not motivate you to get what you want and it only pushes you down into depression, guilt and hopelessness.” Patrick Wanis.

The end of the year is usually the deadline for many people. They have had personal deadlines to get certain things done by the end of the year and for many organizations they also have end of the year deadline. At the end of the year there is an appraisal and if is not as expected disappointment, despair and depression sets in.

The end of the year need not be all gloom and doom. The end is a sign that a beginning is about to start. As long as we have life there is hope.

“But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion” Ecclesiastes 9:4.

Let us be grateful. It could have been worse than it is. We should learn from our mistakes, make amends and trust God to do better.

“It’s always something to know you’ve done the most you could. But don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last.” — Charles Dickens

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