Are you planning to start something new in the new year? Have you been able to start and keep your new commitment for these first few days? Has it been a struggle? Does it feel as though you are pushing against the tide?
When the calendar roles over to a new year, many make resolutions to start something new. The range of resolutions is as varied as the number of people who live in this world. Some people will make multiple resolutions.
Unfortunately, many of our resolutions do not last. Within a few days or perhaps a couple weeks, we grow tired of the struggle, or something causes a temporary roadblock, and we stop pursuing the change we started. It may have little impact, if our resolution is to stop eating chocolate. However, it may have a significant impact, if our resolution is to start a new healthy habit or give up a bad habit.
We can start a new habit, one that puts us in coordination with God. Just as God started a new thing when Jesus was born into this world, we can walk beside Him with a new dedication. God stated He was making a pathway through the wilderness. The wilderness we live in is full of brambles, briars, pitfalls, cliffs, mountains, and fallen trees to block our path or discourage us. But when we trust God to clear the path, He delivers on His promise—even if the path is different than the one we envisioned.
God also promised to put streams of refreshment in this wasteland for us. Those streams come in the form of family, friends, and churches. They are people of encouragement, people who renew our strength when we grow discouraged. We may also be a person of encouragement for others, being a stream of cool water to refresh them. Yes, God started something new with Jesus, and He continues it today.
I pray we all commit to starting something new. I pray we dedicate or rededicate ourselves to Jesus. I pray each one of us follows the path God has cleared for us and drink from the clear streams He has put in our lives. Start something new. Dedicate yourself to God. Follow the path God has cleared. Drink from the streams God provides. Be the encouragement for others.
Isaiah 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Marty Pressey 