The beginning of a new year--any new beginning, really--feels a bit like stepping off a cliff.
Who knows what awaits us "out there?"
Every new situation brings a touch of uneasiness. Even if we think we've prepared for it, one question looms.
Will I be able to handle this?
All we can know for sure is that we haven't lived this year or this day before. Like explorers scouting new continents, day after day we'll travel through unknown territory.
Sure, we may stay in the same place, with the same people around us. But no human being is fixed and unchanging, like, say, a cardboard box. As long as we live and breathe, we're subject to change. So if you've been saying, "I suppose the future will just be more of the same," remember what Grandma used to say.
As long as there's life, there's hope.
Take time for the pause that makes sense of yesterday
It's worth taking time to reflect on where we've been. Snatch a little while out of the day to look back, either on your own or with your family. Replay the happy days and savor what was good. Let your heart be glad.
Let your heart be glad.
Ah, there's the rub. Even as Christians, some of us are afraid to feel good about anything in our lives, as if it might break some sort of spell. Some firmly believe they were born under a curse and refuse to think otherwise. If either description sounds too personal, it's worth asking why and tracing back to the source(s) of that mindset.
Even when we're consumed by loneliness, we are loved.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. --Psalm 30:7
Sometimes looking back hurts
For all of us, some times were not so good.Perhaps it's been a year of pain, either from circumstances or from what others inflicted on us. We just want to forget.
It's more useful to resolve to not waste the hard stuff of life. Scrape off the bandagesyou plastered over your wounds and examine them. Uncover what you learned about yourself. Often you'll realize you displayed more inner strength than you previously knew you had. For just awhile, bask in your new awareness of that hard-earned inner stamina and thank God for His transforming power within you.
You say you blew it sometimes? We all do, simply because we're imperfect human beings. Beating up on ourselves just beats us down.
What helps most is to pray for courage to humbly ask forgiveness. It's never too late, truly. Whether the other person hears us is beyond our control. Make amends if it's possible to do so. Then give the whole bundle to God, knowing He can restore, even when broken relationships seem irretrievable. Knowing for sure that Jesus died for all our sins enables us to forgive others in the same way.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ---Colossians 3:13
Through every day and every experience, as we grow, our faith grows. All it takes is a teachable heart. Then life deepens our understanding of God, as we look for--and see--His hand in everything.
What we know about the future is that it remains always unknown. Oh, we know two more things, the most important. We are loved and we will not walk through it alone.
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. --Zephaniah 3:17
So, my friends, let's step off into tomorrow with excitement and with joy!
Lovingly,
Lenore
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