'Tis the Season
Posts. Tweets. Pictures. Updates. As I scroll through social media, I have noticed many people's excitement of the year 2016 coming to a close and a new year starting. It seems to have been a difficult year for many, and I would be lying if I did not admit that I, too, have been looking forward to this year coming to an end. There is just something about a new year: a new start, new goals and expectations, and new adventures. It's an exhilarating idea. I mean, it is almost like we get a "re-do" without changing anything that has happened... good or bad. Simply a fresh year with no memories yet created, no goals yet accomplished, and no "failures" yet perceived. In my mind, it is as if I get a new beginning and a new chance : my old habits/issues/struggles no longer have to be my new habits/issues/struggles.
Every single year, specifically at the end of the year, I look back on all of my journals and spend some time thinking about the main points the Lord has taught me. Honestly, this helps me see His faithfulness throughout the year, even though there were times it felt as if He was not there. I challenge you to do this. Even just 5-10 minutes of solitude and thinking. As I look back, I have learned that God does not expect me to have myself all together and to be needless or self-sufficient. He has also taught me the importance of every season He takes us through and His desire for us to have faith and trust what His word says, which requires a daily choice to do so.
One evening in prayer, God gave me an image of gushing waters, more specifically of a waterfall. He also took me to Revelation 1:15, which says "His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters." As one sits next to a waterfall, the surrounding sounds go away, and he or she can only hear the "rushing" waters. The loud, strong sound of the waters is His desire for our ears to only hear His truth, rather than the lies of the enemy. More than that, He desires that we would let this truth be pushed down into the depths of our hearts, minds, and souls, such as the strength of the waterfall which forces the water to the bottom. The water then resurfaces, which represents us sharing Christ's love and grace through our actions and interactions with others.
God's desire is for His people to trust Him, know Him, love Him, follow Him. He wants a relationship with every single person. No matter what your past is, what your struggles are, or what you think you deserve or should not deserve. If nothing else, there are three truths I want you to get from this:
1) You are beautiful. God created you intricately, beautifully, and in His image (Psalm 139 and Genesis 1:27).
2) You are loved. Even though we are imperfect and immoral, God sent His son Jesus to die for us and make a way for us to know Him personally. Jesus paid the price of all of our wrongdoings through His death and we can live freely and shamelessly in this power and truth. (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:1-7, Romans 8:1-4).
3) You are important. There is no one else with your same DNA. You are the only you, and He has specific plans for your life - good plans full of hope, life, and meaning. (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 29:11-13).
None of these truths are based on your actions. It is simply by His grace, a completely free gift to each of us (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is easy to live life in performance mode, trusting ourselves and good works; but my dear friend, we must remind ourselves that these three truths were made true without us doing a single thing. We must choose to believe these truths and let God push them into the depths of our being. Let us live the life He intended us to live - freely and shamelessly, full of hope.
So just as this new year brings a lot of excitement and change, let us cling to the truth - where each and every day we get a new start, without the loss of a single thing. We just get to learn all the lessons and rest in His grace. Again, as some of us view this year as a hard one, please let this last analogy take its place in your heart and mind. It truly has helped me perceive this year a lot differently.
Life is like a tree, always growing and getting stronger/deeper or the leaves are changing. No matter what season, the tree is still always beautiful. Just as winter hits and it appears the tree isn't changing or getting stronger, the reality is, that is the most important season for a tree - the winter season ensures the perseverance of the tree during the other seasons, where the beauty is seen by the world through its leaves and colors. But truth is, trees need the winter season, whether we like it or not. We forget this. We forget that life is like a tree. The hard seasons where it feels like we are not changing on the outside (our leaves), it is because we are in the most important season (our roots getting stronger/deeper), which gives us strength and endurance to persevere through life. God has us exactly where He wants us - ALL of the time. And more than that, we are always beautiful because He makes us beautiful. He is good.
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers.”