The fresh aroma of the New Year inspires endless possibilities to be more than we were last year, to conceive that which was never dreamed / possible, and to go where our limitations barred us. Last year, we may never have dreamed, like David, that we could be more than the dust on our feet. And yet overnight, at the dawn of the new day, David went from a shepherd boy tending to sheep in the field, to a future king of a great nation (1 Samuel 16).
The woes or victories of last year do not determine the outcome for this year. The re-set of the New Year offers a clean slate to rewrite this year’s ending, but the choice to re-set our minds and rewrite the ending, remains ours.
We can choose to advance with the configurations of the year that was because they worked and the year was filled with victory. But the example of the mighty Samson should stand as a reminder that we should never be so comfortable as to live only in yesterday’s glory and fail to plan for tomorrow’s battle (Judges 16).
Conversely, the year that was may have been painful and bitter, and we can still choose to proceed with the same configurations, lamenting and calling ourselves Mara (the one whose life is bitter) (Ruth 1:20–21). But if you are sick and tired, of being sick and tired, you can give the reins of your life to Jesus so that He can be a new force, turning your mourning into joy, and remind of you of His promises—that despite your location, your name and destiny never changed in his book, and a bright future awaits you.
For those who were victorious last year, allow God to direct your footsteps and He will raise you higher than you could ever dream for yourself: for “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
©Katie Mliswa and MomentsbyKatie.M, 2018.
