Allow the truth of God's Word to permeate your life and get rid of the enemy’s lies. Step into the new year with hope and anticipation that just like many people in the Bible, your story is not over.
For many years, I looked at the new year with great anticipation. What would the new year bring? A new job? New possessions to make me happy? More income? The ability to meet and exceed my resolutions? However, many of those years proved to be less than stellar. Health crises, financial issues, and job loss caused me not to be able to attain the goals that I set out to achieve. In 2003, my mother passed away unexpectedly. This caused me to have a difficult year dealing with loss and grief. In 2004, while steeped in sadness and grief, I didn't look upon it with anticipation. What would the next year bring? More heartache? More issues? This, in addition to trials of life, made me look at life with dread in the new year, not with hope and anticipation.
While I can't control the trials life may bring me each year, I have learned to look upon the next year with hope rather than dread.
Here is how I learned to do that:
God Is in Control
These four words have become a game changer about how I see life. Much of the reason why I look to the following year with dread is because I can't control the circumstances. If I had it my way, every day would be happy, and I would never have to experience any pain, grief, or loss. Furthermore, I would be able to control my circumstances so I didn't have to experience anything that would cause me fear, doubt, or anger. But I've had to learn that God is in control. Even in the moments when things seem out of control, God is still in control of everything. God is omniscient, meaning he sees and knows all. He knows these things will happen and he also knows he can make good out of these situations. I learned to embrace the idea that God is in control and allow him to order the steps of my life and learn to look upon life with hope. Because no matter what life throws at me, I can go to God, and he can turn any situation from hopeless to hopeful.
I Cling to the Word
Whenever I feel like life is crumbling around me and I'm facing the world's worst circumstances, I always find a story of someone in the Bible—or on social media—who has had it way worse. I'll scroll on my social media feed and find someone who's going through a situation way worse than mine. For example, I have an acquaintance on a social media site who has recently lost two children within three months. This can be debilitating for anyone, but right in time for the holidays is especially gruesome. Yet, she's using the situation to bring glory to God, and she knows he is in control. She doesn't ignore her feelings or bury them; she has moments of uncontrollable grief and gut-wrenching fear. Yet, she knows that she can trust God with anything. She hopes that God has a plan for this situation and can make good even out of what seems to be the worst situation.
This may seem inconceivable but think about the story of Ruth. Think about all she faced. Job lost a lot in a short period of time. The grief he faced must have been debilitating. However, he chose to honor God, despite his deepest grief. Because of this, it resulted in God providing him with a double portion of what he had before, and he also achieved an intimacy with God he had not had before. Even if your circumstances do not result in extra money, a better job, or incredible health results, know that God is in control of everything in whatever situation you are in right now.
God Can Handle My Feelings
Even in moments that are the most difficult for me to handle, I take comfort in knowing I can spend time with God and cry out to him with my feelings. I can express to him my guttural cries, my seething anger, and my thirst for justice. I must believe God is a God of justice. I’ve been in situations where I've been betrayed and deeply hurt, but I must believe God will right the wrongs I have suffered in this life. Even if the situation doesn't call for perfect justice in this life the way I would like it to, I know that God will right the wrongs as he is a fair and honest God. Even when the world seems out of control with the wicked who prosper, I must trust God will not allow the wicked to prosper forever. These people will bear the weight of their sins and what they have done. I can cling to this hope, knowing that the Holy Spirit is in charge, and it is God’s job to convict those in sin.
It Is Not the End of My Story
I heard a preacher once say, “If you have a pulse, God's not done with you.” There is truth to that saying. It is a privilege to simply get up and serve the Lord every day. Even if my life does not yield the results I would like: a better car, a good job, a steady stream of income, or good health, I may face trials in every area of my life but can take solace in the knowledge that it will not always be like this. The bad feelings will pass, the tough circumstances will go away, and in time my pain will subside. I believe part of the joy of heaven will be seeing how everything in my life tied together. Even in moments when I didn't understand why I was being asked to do something at a particular time, I must trust that it is all a part of God's plan. I will take great joy in meeting the people who benefited from my obedience and doing what God was calling me to do, even when it didn't make sense to me at the time.
It may be difficult for you to believe that you can still achieve your dreams. You may be getting older and feel like life is over for you. The Bible is full of stories of people who were used by God in the later years of life. Sarah had a baby at almost 90 years of age. Caleb asked to conquer a mountain at 80 years old. There is nothing that God can't do when he calls us to something. He can provide the strength and stamina we need to accomplish his purposes. We just need to be obedient to it, and not stall what he's doing. We can cling to the hope that it is not the end of our story, even if our lives look very different than what we thought we would accomplish at our age.
If you are not looking forward to celebrating the new year, you are not alone. Not celebrating the new year doesn't mean God doesn't have good things for you in the coming year. Embrace the small moments. Embrace being with the people you love. Cherish good relationships. Forgive yourself and move on from toxic relationships. Allow the new year to be the year where you declutter your life. Allow the truth of God's Word to permeate your life and get rid of the enemy’s lies. Step into the new year with hope and anticipation that just like many people in the Bible, your story is not over.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Matthew Meijer
