Wow....so there goes yet another year! It feels like just the other day we were hosting the FIFA World Cup and now it's just a few months away in Brazil!? Where is the time going??? I guess it's true when they say that our lives really are drops in the ocean when compared to eternity.
In my household it is generally customary to reflect on the past year and set "New Year's Resolutions"....now I don't know about you, but I am TERRIBLE at keeping them! Stop biting nails, spend less time watching series, make more time for things other than architecture....they've all been made, and yes, they've all been broken!
It was towards the middle of 2012 that I felt I was falling into my old habits yet again...."Enough is enough!" I remember telling myself....There I was, lying on my bed watching my fifth consecutive episode of Modern Family (even though I promised myself that the previous one would be my last). I realised that the key component I left out of each New Year's Resolution was God...everything was about giving habits up for myself. At the beginning of this year (2013), I decided to give up series for the year...instead of watching 'hundreds' of episodes and then say I was too tired for quiet time, I substituted this series time for quiet time....and what a difference it made!! Granted, there were days that I faltered and substituted this time for work or friends or something "more important" at the time...
What I learnt through this year is that we cannot achieve anything without God's strength...John 15:5 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
I also learnt that the "New Year" doesn't really bring about some magical new beginning....a good friend of mine's Facebook status today read "Nothing special about the New Year. Tomorrow is not 2014. Tomorrow is Wednesday." Now I'm not trying to be cynical here, and I do enjoy the hype surrounding New Year's Eve...but I just want to highlight that tomorrow we aren't going to wake up totally different people. We are not suddenly going to be able to do things we previously couldn't do just because we made it a "Resolution"....
The only, true new beginning we, as human beings, are ever going to get is when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives....through him absolutely anything is possible! It is only God who brings restoration to one's life. It's only Him who can wipe the slate clean and give you a fresh start. I'm busy reading a book entitled The Life of Faith by Mrs. C. Nuzum. It's an incredible book that highlights what God can achieve through His servants who hunger for a deeper relationship with Him.
I pray that 2014 will be a year of tremendous growth in your life. I pray that you will hand over all your plans, hopes, dreams, aspirations and obstacles before Him....for He is our loving Father....I will leave you with my favourite verse and I hope it will bring you comfort as it did for me in 2013...Jeremiah 29:11 says "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."
I hope that in 2014 you will learn to trust God with ALL things...
Peace and Love
A
No comments:
Post a Comment