A New Year Has Dawned

Another year has passed, and a new year has dawned. The sun has broken through after days of gray dreariness, as if to signify a brighter outlook for the coming days.

It is a yearly ritual we all go through, when the New Year arrives, to take stock and make decisions regarding changes we want/need to make in our lives. In recent weeks I have become keenly aware that I need to make some serious changes in my thinking and dealing with issues in my life, both as an individual and also in collaboration with my husband----and neither will be easy.

Like many millions of other Americans, we have been struggling financially, living paycheck to paycheck for far too long. Expenses, and also debt, keep going up, but those paychecks do not, and it is extremely frustrating and discouraging to not see much, if any, improvement in that situation. Then there are also family concerns that are on our minds that we hope to see change for the better. And sometimes it's just the day-to-day responsibilities of everyday life that seem overwhelming.

By nature, I am a melancholy person and tend to think more negatively than positively. I have had bouts of depression in the past few years which required me to change my job situation and also be on medication for a time (I have written about my experiences with depression and anxiety in the article, My Battle With Depression and Anxiety). Not only does this affect me mentally and emotionally, but also spiritually, causing me to question God's love and care for me and for those who I am concerned about.

In recent months our pastor did a series on how God speaks to us, and how we need to tune ourselves in to His voice and stop listening to all the other voices around us that cause us confusion. The voices of society, culture, even friends and family, and the inner voices we listen to from our own selves, can often be stumbling blocks to hearing the still, small voice of God speaking to us. It has become so apparent to me that I need to block out the distractions of this world and focus more on what God tells me in His Word.

Not only does that mean I should spend more time reading His Word, but it also means I need to spend more time actually thinking about what He has told me through His Word, letting it soak into my mind and my heart. It means stepping out in bold faith and taking Him at His Word, even though common sense or society may say I am crazy. And it means being willing to obey what He has told me to do, even if it is uncomfortable and scary and takes me where I have never gone before. I have to stop caring so much about what other people think of me and be more concerned about what God thinks, and also stop letting my fears get in the way. It also means thinking in a more positive light, affirming the possibilities and not dismissing them because of seeming obstacles.

So, besides the usual losing weight and getting in shape goals, and dealing with financial concerns, I have made a decision that I need to focus more on God's Word to me, and walk more by faith than by sight. I am asking Him to give me the deeper faith and trust in Him that I need in order to not let life get me down as I have let it in the past. I am asking Him to take away my fears and give me an unshakeable trust in Him, that no matter what may happen or how dark things may look at the moment, He is still in control and is working His plan out for my good, and for the good of all His children. And I am asking Him to do great things in the lives of my family and friends, that they will also know Him and His great love for them.

This, to me, is the crux of it all; when we have our focus on God, and on what He reveals to us through His Word, and decide to walk in obedience to Him, everything else will fall into its proper place in our lives. This is not to say everything will be perfect and that we will never face problems or trials; He never promised we would have an easy life in this world. But He has promised to be with us in the midst of those trials and meet our needs, if we trust Him. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (direct your paths)." Proverbs 3:3-6

I have already felt some weight lifted in these past few days, and I have seen some small glimmers of changes for the better regarding some of my concerns. God is a God of miracles, and I know He is able to do far more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). So, I am looking forward to seeing what He is going to do in my life and in the lives of those I bring before Him in prayer in this new year. There is at least one door of opportunity regarding my writing endeavors that has cracked open, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens with that as well.

Happy New Year to all of my AC friends and fans; may you all be blessed greatly and sense the hand of God moving in your lives throughout 2011. Hold on to His hand, and let Him lead you; He will not leave you or steer you wrong, if you put your trust in Him.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by You,' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:11-14

Resources: Personal experience; Scripture quotes from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.