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 whatever comes?
All we know for sure is that ahead of us lie 365 days of the unknown. As surely as explorers scout new territory, you and I will travel through the unexplored and unpredictable.
Sounds exciting, right?
Oh, I see you over there, the one shaking your head and saying, "Yeah, sure. You don't know my life."
Now cut that out!
Here's the truth. Sure, we may stay in the same place with the same people around us.
But . . . Things change. No human being is fixed and unchanging, like, say, a cardboard box. As long as we live and breathe, we prove what Grandma used to say, "As long as there's life, there's hope."
And we are alive, aren't we?
So let's start where we are and take stock. Otherwise it's way too easy to let the setbacks and inconveniences of life blot out the good of our ordinary days.
Thinking it through helps us gain a perspective.
Take the time for a pause that helps us make sense of yesterday. To look back and reflect on where we've been. To replay the happy days and savor what was good. Time to 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 in, If I let myself believe things are going well, it's a sure bet that everything will fall apart.
I know people and maybe you do, too, who firmly believe they were born under a curse and refuse to think otherwise.
None of us fit neatly into a mold. God makes each of us one-of-a-kind. Our struggles, whatever they are, are just as unique.
Taking time to think, to read, maybe to talk with professionals, is never a waste of time. The better we understand ourselves the better we can cope with today. Or tomorrow.
Sometimes looking back hurts
For some of us the past was hard, whether from circumstances or from what others inflicted on us, and we just want to forget.
Forgetting would seem the easy way but that's not what helps most. What's more useful is resolving not to waste the hard stuff of life.
The one certain thing, whatever the situation, is that God knows and God loves us.
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. --Psalm 30:7
Scrape off the bandages you plastered over your wounds and take time to let yourself feel whatever emotions may surface.
Did you learn anything new about yourself? Most of us will . . . if we're honest.
Do a fair assessment
Perhaps now you'll understand that you displayed more inner strength than you realized you had at the time. Let yourself feel good about your hard-earned inner stamina and thank God for His transforming power within you.
You say there were times you blew it? Consider it proof you're an imperfect human being--like the rest of us. Beating up on yourself will just beat you down.
If your self-inventory reminds you of an offense or a disagreement, pray for courage to humbly ask forgiveness. Truly, it's never too late. What matters is that we clear our conscience and leave the end result in God's hands.
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
As we grow, our faith grows
We'll need a humble, teachable heart. (A good thing to pray for.) Then what happens in our life will deepen our understanding of God because we'll 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 every tomorrow with excitement and with joy!
Lovingly,
Lenore
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