The New Thing!

"The Lord says, 'Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.  Look at the new thing I am going to do.  It is already happening.  Don't you see see it?'"  Is. 43:18-19 CEV

It may be a cliche for some to think about how one might do things differently in the new year.  Some may be jaded regarding making New Year's resolutions, because of failed attempts to keep their resolve in the past.

Suffice it to say, I'm sure that there is not one person who would say that nothing in their life needs to change or be improved.  It is not a secret, that failures and wrong turns in the past often contribute to the desire to make changes, and it is those same failures and wrong turns that can make one reticent about making change for fear of repeating past mistakes.  I can recall times where I dived head first into trying to change things to make up for past mistakes and didn't think about the changes that really needed to be made to ensure a measure of success.  And then there were other times when I resolved to do things differently, at least in mind, but was so discouraged by past failures, that the thought of making resolutions-'out loud' through my actions was absolutely terrifying!

Through the prophet Isaiah, we get God's view on the situation of moving forward. God instructs the people to forget what happened before; to forget the past and not even think about it.  In Isaiah's time and in the context of what was written, the Israelites had once again become oppressed.  And in these two verses, God commanded them not the hold on to thoughts of what happened in the past, because He had a plan for something new!  Though God had delivered them time and time again, He promised that He would do a new thing!  The past miracles were nothing compared to what God would do for His people in the present and future.

Here's very real talk: God knows how much of a screw-up you really are!  Whether you admit your flaws or not; He knows who we really are!  And yet, in His wonderful grace, despite our shortcomings, God gives us an opportunity to forget what has happened in the past; forget the mistakes, forget the wrong moves-the wrong turns, and the missteps!  We do not have to allow our yesterdays hold hostage the potential for today and tomorrow!

God's got a new thing going on!

Blessings!

A Work in Progress

"God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Phil. 1:6 NCV

Okay, I will admit it, I have struggled  with self esteem and self doubt on more than one occasion in my life.  I still wonder sometimes if I am all that God had in mind for me.  There, I said it, and it's not the easiest thing to say!

In our society, admitting to personal struggles, character flaws, and other vulnerabilities only serve to encourage a perception of weakness.  Yet, when those people who make us feel less than relevant for having these vulnerabilities, or weaknesses, are caught with 'their hand in the cookie jar' for the commission of some sort of  socially unacceptable infraction or crime; all of a sudden, it's convenient to point to their own human frailties.

It is the norm and the usual practice for people to post their triumphs and successes on social media.  I have friends who are 'superheroes' on their jobs and in their communities.  And I so appreciate  hearing about their victories, which sends out a positive energy.  However,  for someone like me, who often feels not so heroic, how encouraging and inspirational to hear from these successful people about the personal struggle that led to the public victory.  How encouraging would it be to hear the backstory, when that superhero wanted to quit, but found the inner strength to continue on.  To share the secret with everyone that there is a potential superhero waiting to be born in each and every one of us!  That's an FB post I'd love to read!

From God's perspective, we all were meant for something greater than the world may tell us, even more than we may believe is possible for ourselves.  It all starts with the firm belief that God created something good when He created you.  It's in the Word!  And Paul lets us know that the work is a continuous action!  The work has a date of completion, when Jesus Christ returns!  Now, if one doesn't believe in Jesus, then this wonderful promise becomes null and void.  One will be stuck believing that he/she will not get any better than what their present condition is.  But for believers in the faith, we've already seen the progress, right?  We know we may not be all that we ought to be, but we give God the praise that we aren't what we used to be.  We know we continue to be under construction with the God given ability to accomplish super things and attain a level of superhero status all while continuing to be a work in progress!