Awaken Anew
It's mid-January. About two weeks from "resolution season." Even if, like me, you aren't into New Year's resolutions, there's still "something" about the changing over of the year. People experience many different feelings: anticipation, trepidation, excitement, relief... There are a lot of expectations when a new year begins! How soon, though, do we fall back to our usual routines, habits, and comfort zones? "New Year's resolutions" wasn't a concept I could ever fully grasp, and I'm not great at goal-setting, so it certainly never took long for me to forget or just move on. For me, there was no shame to this, but I could see those around me struggling - feeling like they had failed, or were incapable, or couldn't measure up to expectations, and just experiencing a lot of guilt or frustration. Not sticking to New Year’s resolutions is basically a cliché, and yet we still beat ourselves up over it?
How about we keep the feelings of expectation and joy, and leave the unhealthy baggage behind? We are children of the King, trying to live by standards and traditions of the world He sent us to change (even worse, we're trying to do all of this by our own strength)!
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17
We get to begin each day with Jesus. A NEW day, every time! You’ve never experienced this day before. God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to make choices that guide our way down the path of transformation. Choosing Jesus is not a one-and-done decision - it's a process. We're going to fall down. We're going to have hard times. The One who knows all things told us so! Why would we expect immediate transformation Sailor-Moon style? Where do we see that other than cartoons?? WHEN we fail, as we know we will, WHEN we fall short, as we know we will, we can go back to God. We can repent and ask for forgiveness. And we can get up the next morning (or evening, or afternoon), renewed by His grace and mercy. Begin each day anew with the Lord.
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This time of year can also be really difficult for those struggling with mental health. If you find yourself extra down due to the weather, seasonal depression or anxiety, burnout, or something else, each day can feel like you’ve lived it before. Mental health issues can be monotonously hard to continue slogging through. To you I say, You get to begin each day with Jesus. He will bring you through this day, just as He brought you through yesterday, and the day before that. Isolation is a trap, not an escape. Reach out for help and connection.