New Year, New You

“Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 TLB).

I heard a story about Thomas A. Edison. On a cold winter night, his factory, which housed all of his dreams and practical realities, burned. Everything was destroyed. His records, blueprints, formulas and notes lay in ashes.The 67-year-old inventor stood and watched everything he had ever worked for go up in flames. The next morning he looked at the ruins and said there was value in disaster because all the mistakes were burned up. Then he thanked God he could begin anew.

What a wonderful perspective this man had about life. His attitude made all the difference. So does ours. Things can appear to be disastrous at first. A financial failure, illness or any number of losses can make our personal dreams go sour. Whether or not these things destroy us depends on our outlook. We have a chance to begin again. “With God, all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). We can learn from past failures. We become wiser while finding a different approach for the future.

 Despite the futility of most people's new year’s resolutions, a new year does give an opportunity to start over. What is past is just that … past.Time wasted in reliving the past and time worrying about the future is counterproductive and a lesson in futility to say the least. God meets you where you are. He supplies a day at a time and he gives instructions for living it.It is a pitiful existence to stop living because of past mistakes. A repentant child of God finds forgiveness, healing and hope. Repentance requires a change in behavior and the change can begin today. The repentant soul’s hope is not in a wretched past, but that soul looks to God’s hope of new beginnings. 

Doing good to others is a great start to a new beginning. In giving yourself away by blessing others, you will find happiness returns to you. All the material things in the world are simply a cheap substitute for unselfishness, kindness and love for others. Be blessed in the New Year. May God’s love inspire you, and may his angels surround you. Whatever the circumstances, be hopeful, for God is on your side. Look on the bright side and live one day at a time. Be thankful for things money cannot buy … love, family, friends and a loving God.Let us look forward to 2010 with strong faith, optimism and enthusiasm.

A. L. Lofton, Contributing Writer