Welcome to Gateway Church's podcast. Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message.

Really, really excited to be here and just been kind of praying through this week what contribution I was supposed to make.

And there's something I kind of want to want to share as we settle into the beginning of a new year.

There's something I want to talk to us about from a life, from the life of a gentleman named Job.

And so I want to read just a few verses from Job's story found in Job 42 beginning at verse 1.

I'm going to be reading this from the new international version.

And it says, then Job replied to the Lord.

I know that you can do all things.

No purpose of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?

Listen to Job family. He says, surely I spoke of things I did not understand.

Things too wonderful for me to know.

You said, listen now and I will speak. I will question you and you will answer me.

Verse 5, my ears had heard of you.

But now my eyes have seen you.

I want to talk from this subject and our time together family. I see it now.

One of my favorite thought leaders is a Danish and a Danish philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard.

And he's credited with this quote. He says, life is lived forward, but it's only understood backwards.

He seems to be suggesting that there are some things we experience in our present

that won't make sense to us until we get into our future.

And I want to pause for the calls even in my introduction and ask you a question for your reflection.

Can you look back to certain seasons and situations in your life

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