Humble, trusting, filled with hope

Historically, we have published WORLD’s News of the Year issue as the final issue of the calendar year. That makes sense, except that our press deadline for the final issue of the year is way too early and misses potentially too much.

So instead of using the final issue of the outgoing year, we’re using the first issue of the incoming year. Our press deadline for this issue is Dec. 28, but that’s better than Dec. 8. A lot has happened since Dec. 8.

Of course, a lot could happen after Dec. 28, too, so there’s still a chance we’ll miss something. We’ll just have to live with the risk.

Accepting the risk that we will miss an important story that comes along in the last moments is just one way this issue is a reminder of the uncertainty of life, and our lack of control over it.

Such reminders are important for us, and it’s a big reason we publish a News of the Year issue. Life is short and uncertain. We don’t control the events of our own little worlds, much less the events of the wider world. God is in control of it all, the macro and the micro. This knowledge is where humility starts.

In his recent book, Humbled, David Mathis writes: “Within measure, we can take certain modest steps to cultivate a posture of humility in ourselves, but the main test (and opportunity) comes when we are confronted, unsettled, and accosted, in the moments when our semblances of control vanish and we’re taken off guard by the hard edges of life in a fallen world.”

That test (and opportunity) itself is a gift from God, to produce in us a “posture of humility.”

Regular readers will know that WORLD has lost several reporters and editors near the end of 2021. We are sad to see them go, and we pray that they will find fruitful ways to use their considerable gifts in God’s service beyond WORLD. We pray also that these additional reminders of God’s control will allow us humbly to approach 2022—thankful that God has always provided the people we need to fulfill our mission, trusting that He will continue to do so, and hopeful about the opportunity available to those who remain and those next to join us.