The past couple years, I have started having a yearly verse. I pick a verse that I want to define that year.
2013 was Psalm 86:11, "Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name."
2014 was Psalm 56:13, "For You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."
For this year, I have chosen Isaiah 43:18-19, "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 wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
Some of you have heard me say that Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite verse, and it is. It's my life verse. But we know that each year brings different things into our lives. We go through different stages, different trials, and different joys. We make old mistakes, but we also make new mistakes. I pick a verse to remind myself as I go through each day that God is there. It's like a prayer to quiet my heart.
This year, I want to let go of things that I've been holding on to, some of them for years. One thing I have realized is that no matter what I do or how much I hold onto it, I can't change the past. Sometimes friendships that were broken will just remain broken. It's part of life. But holding onto those things will not help me to move forward.
There's a Relient K song that says,
"And You said I know that this will hurt
But if I don't break your heart then things will just get worse
If the burden seems too much to bear
Remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there."
This song resonates with me because I can think of multiple times where God had to break my heart to bring me back to Him. It's not a fun process, but in the end it will always worth it because God used those things to grow me and bring me better blessings.
One excellent point from the message at my church this weekend is that sometimes we try to just dust ourselves off instead of letting God transform us. That is what I have done so many times. The problem with dust is that it always returns. Just think about dusting your house. It's practically a weekly thing. Transformation, however, is more permanent, and that is what we all need.
It is so easy to give up and wallow in our disappointments and shame instead of standing up and leaving them behind. I'm ready to reset. I'm ready to bask in God's forgiveness and mercy and enjoy life. God has so richly blessed me, and I can't lose sight of that. I posted a status a few days ago that said, "2015 is the year for fresh starts and new memories. Here's to God's blessings!" What's funny is I didn't even remember that the new series at my church would be Reset: New Year New Start. It was like God was encouraging me in my decision.
I want to encourage you in joining me with the decision to let go of the past. We can't change it in any way, but we can let God use it for the good and transform us. God doesn't cause the problems we go through, but He wants to use them rather than let them be wasted. I think it's very comforting that He wants things to make us better and not tear us apart. He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are, and that means we need to let go of what's behind us and move forward.
2015 is my fresh start. Will it be yours?
