Beginnings

My favorite day of the year is New Years Eve/New Years Day, not because of the parties and good food, but because of a fresh start. I love the feeling of potential and new possibilities. My new planner sits open in front of me with only endless prospects and hopes. All my mistakes of the past year are left in the past (or so I like to tell myself) and the new year stretches out full of promise. I love to set new goals and dream about the person that I want to become. On New Years Eve, everything seems possible.

So why am I writing about New Years Eve at the beginning of March? Only about 9% of people complete their resolutions each year, and 23% quit by the first week. Around 43% quit before the end of January. These statistics speak to our desire to change, we want to live the dream, but they also show that many of us are unwilling to put in the work that we need to to make the change.

I was a quitter in the past, it didn’t take me long to give up and have all the mistakes that I had made in the past come back to haunt me. One day while reading my Bible I came across a verse in Lamentations 3:22-23. It goes like this: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” What a blessing to know that God will never leave us, His love never stops and each morning ( really each minute) we can try again. Every day can be New Years Day full of hope and promise when we walk with God.

So let me ask you about one of the most important habits a Christian can establish… that of daily Bible reading. How’s it going for you? If I looked at your Bible what would see? Could I tell that it was well loved and well used? or would I have to blow the dust off? My own Bible has been in both conditions throughout the years. But God, lets us start over – whenever we need to. He doesn’t hold grudges or keep records of our failures. Picking up our Bible after a long absence can be a daunting task, but rest assured that God is waiting there for you. Will it be easy and wonderful at first? Probably not, but keep going, keep trying, keep showing up! The day will come when you will feel God’s presence beside you, you will feel His hand on your shoulder, you will hear Him whisper “Welcome back”.

Elizabeth George talks about 3 stages of Bible reading that she went through. I love this and wanted to share it with you. The first stage she calls the cod liver oil stage when reading the Bible is like taking medicine. The second stage is the shredded wheat stage, the Bible is nourishing but dry. Finally the third stage is the peaches and cream stage when reading the Bible is pleasurable and passion inducing.

Use today as a New Years Day and open up your Bible. Start a new habit that will strengthen you and change your life. Comment below if you are starting a new adventure in God’s word. I would love to check in with you and cheer you on. I can promise you won’t regret it.