Beginnings.
This word can fill you with so many emotions all at once, but I want to focus on how you handle your new beginning. Your actions will make it into something beautiful or a disaster.
I want you to look back to last year: 2024. Some of you are very tech savvy and do that trend on Instagram where you recap a few photos to remember each month. Some of you journal the good and the bad. Some of you have a prayer wall and you display what good or bad things have happened. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do any of this. I am very bad at sharing photos, journaling, or displaying something like a prayer wall. I use the photo calendar on my iPhone and scroll to the month and just look that way. If you do this too, you are not alone.
Any way you want to do it is fine, but I want you to get a piece of paper and draw 12 boxes. Label them January-December, and then in that box, draw a line and make one side “Pro” and the other side “Con.” Now, take a few moments and reflect on this past year. Start writing down the good and the bad in each month. Some months may have pros or cons, some months may have pros and cons, but some months may even have more of one, and that’s ok. As you write them down, you may start to feel some emotions kick in when you first experienced that situation, and I want you to think about how you handled it.
Were you happy? Did you praise God or someone else? Were you angry? Did you wish harm on someone else? Did you get angry with God and question why He was allowing you to go through that? Did you doubt God? Did you lose your faith? Did you turn to your Bible immediately and pray?
As we go into this new year, I want you to reflect on this paper you just filled out. Ladies, every single word in the Bible is true.
“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)
The Word is describing Jesus. If you don’t believe every single word and punctuation in the Bible, then you are saying that Jesus and God are liars; and I know that if you are part of the Anchored & Abiding community, you don’t believe that at all.
If you start this journey with doubt, worry, fear, or impatience, you are saying that God does not know what He is doing. He is not doing what is best for you and setting you up for failure. You are allowing the enemy to deceive you and convince you that the God you serve is not who He says He is.
If you start this new journey with excitement, joy, happiness, and contentment, you know that God is going to be with you every step of the way and take care of you. You remember all the promises in His Word about how He will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5b). You know that “I can do all things through Christ which gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
You can claim that “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2).
The Bible never said life would be easy. In fact, in John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Memorize this scripture. Whenever the enemy throws something at you, I want you to remind yourself of John 16:33. Yes, life is going to be hard and will throw curveballs at you, but handle it with the promise that Jesus has overcome the world, the grave, sin, and every curveball that is thrown at you. In the end, you win every time because Jesus already won for you over 2,000 years ago!
You have 365 days of new beginnings. Let’s make the best of it!
Happy New Year Anchored & Abiding family. I pray you have a blessed and prosperous year!
-CC
Reflect on your past year & start the new year with faith, knowing that God’s promises will guide you through whatever comes your way. Let’s make the most of this year with hope, joy, and strength in Christ!
Join our Anchored & Abiding community on Discord to share your journey and grow in faith together. We’d love to have you!
Thank you for this. I appreciate it.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
I horrible about journaling, writing things down, etc. But this is a very practical way to engage in our decision making and reflect on our emotions and choices. Love this!