Happy New Year!
Do you wonder what this new year will bring? I know I do. What will this year look like? Will it be a fresh start or just more of the same? One thing is for certain. For the most part, it will be what we make it.
Does that sound like a lot of responsibility AND accountability? I guess it is. I have said before that I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. I do, however, try to set some attainable goals.
This past year, more than ever, has taught me that I HAVE to keep my immunity up and stay as healthy as possible. One thing, Covid for instance, can knock you for a loop and you find yourself clawing at the walls trying to pull yourself back up. And I thought I was pretty healthy. That is my only real personal goal.
Sometimes, we find ourselves focusing only on “self”. The problem with that is we lose focus on what our true purpose in this life is. In my Bible readings this week, I came across a couple of things that really struck a chord with me. The first is in Psalm 147.
Psalm 147:10-11
10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.
So, if we focus all throughout the day, on putting all of our hope in His unfailing love, how might that change how this new year goes?
Yes, I would like to lose some weight and I will be healthier for it, but God is much more concerned with how healthy my spirit is than He is with my weight. I try to be a good steward of my body but I really want to be a good steward of my spirit and my love for Jesus Christ.
The other scripture that stuck with me this week comes from the wisdom of the Proverbs.
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
2020 was an unbelievably hard year for many people. Lost jobs, lost family, lost hope. Suicide rates are up and depression has skyrocketed.
Speak up – judge fairly – defend, these require action on our part. What can we do to help those who cannot speak for themselves? This isn’t about politics, this is about humanity.
We are supposed to be an example of Christ who lives in us, the hands and feet of Jesus.
Perhaps this new year is the perfect opportunity for us to take a step back from all the rhetoric and all the politics and invite the Holy Spirit to show US what we should be doing. Not our pastor, our church or our neighbor, but each one of us.
Pray Unceasingly!!
Lois