My favorite pastor has said many times, “We can’t go back and make a brand new start, but we can start today and make a brand new ending.” We are each given opportunities to choose to make changes necessary for a better outcome. The Words of Jesus in John 10:10 (NLT): “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” assure us that abundant life is available to each of us. We have certainly been challenged this year to think a little deeper about life, family, and our heavenly Father.
“God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to Him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes His tent from them.”
Isaiah 40:22 (NLT)
This same beloved pastor reminds his congregation often that we will never find Christmas in a present — Christmas can be found only in Christ. It is the same for life; we will never find life except in Christ. The Bible tells us so. The psalmist was of like emotions as we are when he wrote Psalm 89:47 (NLT), “Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence!”
This time of year affords each of us the opportunity to “start anew.” The calendar is our friend as we flip the page to a new year, a new beginning, and ultimately a new ending. What is it that your family needs from you? Is Christ honored in your home and life? Christ rightfully should move to a new place of importance in each of our lives in the New Year.
There is a saying that “mental illness is when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.” We can get bogged down in poor parenting and remain on that path until there is burn out, frustration, and exasperation. It is said that “burn out doesn’t come from too much to do, it comes from not doing what we are supposed to do.” There is a beautiful promise in the Bible that we may claim as believers in, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me,’” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NLT).
Put in place now disciplines that are necessary to produce better results for your family.
“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’ The LORD is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of His discipline.”
Lamentations 3:22-27 (NLT)
Make 2021 the year of submitting to the sovereignty and authority of our Heavenly Father, His Son, His Spirit, and His Word. Let’s get going! There are no regrets in following Christ.
Happy New Year!
