“New Year, New Me”
“2018 was rough, but I’m leaving all that negativity behind.”
“2019 is going to be the year I get fit”
“I am going to get over it this year and going to be happy.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to be nicer, wiser and more loving.”
The last day of 2018 found us all say something similar to the above sentences. With a very brief moment of introspection, we declared that this was going to be the year of change – we decided to love more, forgive more and most importantly, be happy.
And all of us meant it.
But 2018 ended and January 1st came, and for so many of us, things didn’t change.
The past still hurts. The words spoken over you still make you feel small. You think of the people you’ve lost and you want to cry. You still wonder where your life is headed.
You still wonder if you matter.
And it sucks that the calendar has changed, everyone else seems to be doing so great, and the only thing that’s left behind is you.
You made your declarations and resolutions, 2019 has come and you feel like you’ve failed on day one, and you’re going to have to wait a whole year to do it again.
If you feel this way, know that you’re not alone. We’re all there.
But you don’t have to wait a whole new year to try again. Your moment is now.
Because the new year is not what makes the change. The new year is not what is in control of you.
God is!
And His love and mercy does not wait for the new year to give you a fresh start.
He gives it to you today, and He will give it to you tomorrow and He will continue to give it to you every moment.
Our prayer is that before you make goals, plan, maybe even before you make your coffee in the morning, you would make some agreements with your Heavenly Father about your life.
Let’s not go into 2019 buying the lie of our enemy that our job is to get better. We grow best when we’re compelled by grace and in agreement with who we have been made to be.
And even though the new year hasn’t turned out how you planned for it be, we pray that you will rise up from shaky knees and continue to walk forward.
If you’re stuck in the dark today – don’t lose hope.
Maybe these words will be just a just a small breadcrumb of hope, but it only takes one breadcrumb to remember there’s a path set before us. You’re not alone. There are breadcrumbs. Look ahead for them.
Count this as a reminder that God is here and he is working.
He is leading you out. We pray this will help you fight any feelings of unholy urgency that the new year brings.
Hold on to him. The invitation is open.
Happy New Day to you!
