Endings and Beginnings
My wife Marie does not write very often, and she should, she is a much better writer than I am. At the start of this year she posted this article that I felt was worth posting to help us end the issues of the past year and have a great start in 2015.
ENDINGS & BEGINNINGS
As I (Marie), was doing my reflections the final morning of December 31, 2014, these 2 thoughts struck me:
1) LIFE HAS DEADLINES.
In a few hours, 2014 will officially be OVER. Nothing, not our strength, our popularity, our influence or power, will ever make 2014 stretch longer than it should.
No positive thinking, no Law of Attraction, no Political will, no Billions of dollars will stretch 2014 beyond December 31, 2014.
There is a definitive quality to life that is why it is important to live purposefully.
Life does not linger and wait for you to get your act together. It moves on. Family relationships, can’t be conveniently put in the freezer, to stay on ice, until you are ready to face them.
The child, you always intended to spend time with in some vague, distant future, is no longer that same child. That little kid is now taller than you. The spouse that you’ve been making a mental promise to treat better, is a different person now.
The body, you’ve wishfully attempted to workout, is either healthier or not, primarily due to the health decisions you chose in 2014. The fact that Life has a deadline, seems very obvious and the end of every year is a big reminder that time is ticking away.
One question to ask is: HOW did I “budget” my 2014?
Am I spending my life towards what really matters most in eternity?
Am I making a significant, godly impact on others that will last beyond my lifetime? What legacy am I leaving behind?
It made me think and examine myself. . . If I say that what matters most to me are:
-My relationship with God, Jesus, my Savior
-My marriage & family: Joey and our children & grandchildren,
-The proper stewardship (of relationships, responsibilities & resources) God entrusted me to have, does my 2014 reflect my deliberate efforts to value them or did they just end up as “wishful thinking”; vague good intentions but no significant impact?
Looking back at 2014, there are decisions I’ve made that I’m so glad I did, but there are also longings of things I could have done better.
I’m sure you have a mixed bag too. Rather, than getting bogged down in a mire of REGRET, stuck in the mud of self-pity or blame, It’s important to remember the next point . . .
2) 2015 IS A FRESH, NEW BEGINNING!
In Philippians 3, Paul described his life this way:
. . . I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Yes, 2014 is OVER. But 2015 is a fresh, new BEGINNING!
Such hope that brings! We have a God-given opportunity to start again and make this year MORE AMAZING, MORE MEANINGFUL than the past.
The Bible reminds us that: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
I want to make the most of this New year! As I unwrap this gift of 2015, and take it out of the box. I want to use it properly. I want to connect with people, meaningfully. I want to be teachable. I want to value what God values and trash what has no value and only diminishes me.
Socrates put it this way: “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
Examination is painful! We all hate exams!! But it shows where we are excelling and where we need improvement. So for a MEANINGFUL 2015, this is what I’m doing:
*REFLECT:
-I will Begin and End everyday with 5 things to thank God for. (Whether I had a good day or not!) Why? Because I want to have an Attitude of Gratitude.
-I will be open to the new plans He has in store for me as I read His word daily.
*CONNECT:
- At the start of the week: I will ask God who are the key relationships He wants me to connect to that week, in a meaningful way. Who are the people God wants me to impact? Why? Because Relationships need action.
*STEWARD:
I will assess what skills, talents , opportunities, resources I have and steward them in a strategic way. It could be as simple as working out regularly, or blogging weekly, or learning new skills. Why? Because I want Him to say ‘well done”.
REFLECT> CONNECT> STEWARD.
“And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:2-3
Happy New 2015! Thanks for reading this far.
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