I am a Mist

I love fresh starts...second tries...new beginnings, and every year I feel the same excitement as I look ahead to all that the coming year may hold.  But I also experience quiet reflection as I look back on the year just completed and think through what I am glad for and what I wish I had done differently.  The one thing I am sure of, is my appreciation of God's grace on my life .  God has said that even though there is sorrow in the night, joy comes in the morning.  That is what the new year feels like for me - even though there may be sorrow for some of what has been, there is joy for the newness - another chapter waiting to be written.

As I reflect on these thoughts, God has brought to my heart the reminder of how little time we have here on earth to live for Him, and it stirs within me a desire to use each moment for His glory and purposes.  We find in James 4:14 a picture of this, "What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  The same chapter also explains the importance of understanding that we don't know what tomorrow will hold and our calling is to do the "good" we know we should do.  I feel that I hold life very carefully - it may be because my dad died suddenly in a drowning accident when he was only 31 or it may just be a God given awareness, but I have always sensed that life is a fragile gift and our job is to make the most of each moment we have.  If we are but a mist then we do not know when we will vanish, but we are called to do the "good" that God has planned for us to do.

What if you don't feel you know what the "good" is for your life?  Take some quiet reflection time (come on, you can carve it out if you really grasp that this is eternal purposes we are talking about) and ask the Lord to show you what He wants you to focus on this year.  Don't look for something complicated, the answer may come in a whisper of...simplicity, time with your family, less activity, care for a hurting friend, love towards a certain neighbour.  Start with obedience to the first thing that God brings and you will likely find that as you step out and do that "one good thing", He will bring the next thing to mind. 

It is us, not God, that complicates this life we are trying to live.  He only expects us to take one day at a time and walk out obediently in the direction He brings.  Don't be worried that our lives are passing as a mist; be glad we have been forewarned, and use that awareness to value each moment accordingly.  Make this year of "mist" a purposeful, joy-filled year.

Only One Resolution Needed

Get in shape?  Read more?  More down time?  Lose Weight?  Travel more?  Pray longer?  

What do you say when you are asked the question, "What are your New Year's resolutions for this year?" 

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking the question, nor the discipline of setting goals for the new year.  We all need time to pause and reflect on what we would like to change or do differently in our lives, and what more natural point than going into a new year?  And yet, when I evaluate my own life and listen to others around me share, I feel we are burdened by setting goals that we anticipate we won't be able to keep.  What is more, we often place a lot of pressure on ourselves to fix numerous items at one time, when we know that it is hard to work on more than one thing at a time.

Just for fun, I googled the most common resolutions people set, and found that they all had to do with overall health for ourselves, things like; more time with friends, more exercise, breaking bad habits, getting out of debt, learning something new.  Without becoming too inwardly focused, it is a good thing to look at what parts of our lives need to be changed.  It is also helpful to evaluate those areas and see where we are at and compare it to where we feel we should be...but over time I have found I only need one real resolution. 

This has become my annual new year's resolution - and the only one I need - to spend time knowing God and growing in His Word.  Now before you write that off as boring or not really applicable, realize what that resolution does with the most popular resolutions that people chose.  God tells us in His Word how to build healthy relationships, how the Spirit can grow us in self-control, how to make wise choices with our finances, and on it goes.  The Bible says in Proverbs 8:35 that, "Whoever finds me (wisdom), finds life and receives favour from the Lord."  This is where all of the rest of life should be shaped ~ by God's wisdom pouring into our lives.

Don't let me discourage you from setting some new resolutions for your new year, especially if you have found you are one of the few that carry them out and make real change.  BUT if you are someone that feels like you have failed before you have begun, then consider trying something new - only resolve to be in God's presence each day, Bible in hand and say, "God what do you have for me today?  What can I change, grow in or work on, WITH YOUR HELP, that will move me closer towards what you have for me?"

Be blessed as you anticipate all that lies ahead and have a truly Happy New Year!

"I know what I am doing.  I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  When you call on Me, when you come and pray to Me, I'll listen.  When you come looking for Me, you'll find Me.  Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed.  I'll turn things around for you." 

(Jeremiah 29:11-13 in the Message)