I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ! Philippians 1:6 TPT
Wow! It is hard to believe we have begun a new year. It almost feels like we slid into 2021 without much fanfare or expectation. We all lived through the 2020 uproar. I’m not even talking about the actual chaos that was 2020, but the turning of the calendar into last year that brought with it all the hope and promise of a new decade only to be slapped in the face with a large dose of dismal disappointments. So maybe, we have all become wiser. Or maybe we have just succumb to the numbing effects of pandemic pandemonium.
We would be remiss we didn’t actually shake ourselves out of the lethargy of isolation and look at life through a new lens. It is easy to get the analogy of 20/20 vision. The designation is given to “perfect” eyesight: unobstructed, unhindered, un-doctored site-lines. Looking forward and envisioning the possibilities is far different than looking back and accessing the realities. Perhaps we turned the page on last year and stared blankly at January 2021 with less purposeful anticipation, because what we imagined and what we got in 2020 were two totally different things.
But it is 2021. We have turned the corner. It can feel like we are heavy on uncertainty and light on clarity, but that may just be the result of a food coma hangover brought on by too much junk food and too little exercise. This year let’s start by relaying some foundation, The truth is God has not abandoned us. His word is still true and it has not lost its power. He has not changed His mind. He is not trying to bring confusion or dangle carrots of enticement that He never plans to give us. All of those negative attributes don’t actually belong to God. Those are reserved for the enemy and he has been busy.
Just to be clear, we have begun a new chapter. New beginnings should always be a source of hope. God in His wisdom set up the cycle of days and nights, seasons, and celebrations. He knew we would need those all these built in resets. Of this we can be sure, the mercies and goodness of God are not limited by the calendar, they do not expire but are always refilled and ready to be poured out moment by moment of every day.
Find hope in this. God always finishes what He starts, even if it feels like our momentum has been disrupted and the sure end we have expected gets pushed off. In those moments, we can begin to doubt His sincerity and our hearing. We need to resist at all costs the urge to dumb down our expectations or reduce our ability to dream. God has not giving up on the plans He has for us.
Just like we read about Jeremiah, we have been formed and fashioned with specific gifts, talents, and assignments. Our name could be slipped in those verses along with our directives from God Himself. Let’s spend 2021 with our eyes looking ahead and not in the rearview mirror. God is not stuck in the “Groundhog Day” experience of 2020, He has moved on and so should we. He is just as determined today as He was when He dreamed about you and set you up for a successful journey. The challenge for us is to run our race with endurance and passion and to finish well. Welcome to 2021. Dig deep. Forge ahead. Let the wind of uncertainty become the pressure that lifts you higher. Enjoy the little things. Find reasons to celebrate. Take time to listen. Find your value in who God says you are. Be grateful for another day to live. Rest in the assurance that God never gets weary and He is determined to finish what He starts.