It’s not even half way through January yet & it feels like a month of Mondays!
Planet Earth celebrated another revolution around the sun with great optimism! Shiny happy people around the globe danced as the clock struck midnight.
Turning the calendar with fireworks & parties often doesn’t alter much in our lives. Our mindset may be buoyed temporarily by the ‘New Year, New You’ mantra.
We can step out on 1st January as bouncy as Tigger but we can quickly default to Eeyore ‘Same old, same old’:
*When the same struggles emerge from the year before
*When no news seems like good news
*When you feel the same broken emotions that there’s not even an emoji for
*When that ‘black dog’ named Depression follows us into 2022
*When your stressors at work don’t stay behind in 2021:
It’s OK not to be OK
‘It’s ok not to feel twinkly’ (Blurt)
Many of us step into a new year with clear resolutions & plans.
The thing is, we ourselves can’t muster up any new ways or lasting change.
We need the love & mercy, goodness & grace of our God- this year & always
‘In the middle of your mess is the Messiah.Look to Him for joy’
(Jennifer Rothschild)
God is with us forever {not just for Christmas!}
‘We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul,closer than our secret thoughts’ (AW Tozer)
He created us, knows us best & yet He loves us most. He is the Unchangeable One who can make things new from the inside out.
He gives fresh starts as often as we ask for forgiveness. He creates new beginnings & multiple chances.
We can pray the words of David’s psalm:
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’
(Psalms 51:10)
We can come to God with our frustrations & failings, our misunderstandings & contradictions. He is More than Enough to deal with them- & care for us.
‘He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, & reveals His thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, & treads on the heights of the earth-the Lord God Almighty is His Name’ (Amos 4:13)
By faith, we can walk close to Him:
‘My goal this year? To stay close to the One who made me. Because being close to Him brings me closer to who I was made to be.’
(Michelle Cushatt)
God said, “I will take you by the hand and keep you”
(Isaiah 42:6 ESV)
When we don’t feel buoyant &shiny, when we feel down& frustrated by ourselves & others, we can shift the focus from ourselves to God:
‘Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God’
(Psalms 42:5 NLT)
‘Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.’
(Psalm 42:5 MSG)
No matter how we’re feeling,today & throughout the year,
‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’
(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)
‘No matter what this year holds-
In the stressful times:seek God
In the painful times: praise God
In the terrible times:trust God
And at all times-at all times, & at all times
thank God’
(Ann Voskamp)
Blessings,
Ruth x
Blessed! 