A New Beginning

"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not
perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

Here we are, at the door of the ending of 2010. How do you feel about that? Are you glad to see the ending come? Are you a little sad? A little disappointed? Indifferent? A tad-bit excited?

The ending of a year can be all of those things to some people. We start out the year with resolutions. With ideas of all the things we were going to change--about ourselves personally, our lives, the world. Then the end of the year comes, and maybe we didn't get those things done--we didn't follow through with our resolutions. We may have even got into worse habits, even done something or things that we aren't proud of. We feel like a failure.

This verse says the opposite. It says that we are to forget the past. We are to lay them aside. We are to ask forgiveness of them--give them to our Heavenly Father and He will make something new out of them--you--a new person in Him. Isn't that awesome! Isn't that a great way to start a new year? Not focusing on the regrets of the year past, but feeling the freedom of living in the knowledge that God has created a new person in you. That you don't have to regret the closing of the door of the year past--but look forward to the opening of the door of the New Year beginning! How exciting!

If you had a GREAT year--kuddos to you! Keep it going. This verse still has meaning to you because it is a great one to carry in your heart. Each and every day that we wake up, we have the opportunity to become a new creation in the Lord. Our Father will take each and every day of our lives and use the day in the past to make us better people in the future--if we let Him. If we keep our prayer life flowing, our quiet, devotional time with Him top priority and keep our soul open to Him to mold and preen us at all times.

As that glittery ball is falling and they are counting down, remember to say a prayer for the Lord's will on your life this New Year.

Our God is such an AWESOME God! Praise Him for this opportunity of life!