Starting Over
"My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." —Jeremiah 24:6-7
The new year arrived, bringing new calendars,new hopes, new goals and a fresh start along with it. Perhaps it is because our lives are so tied to the calendar, perhaps it is because we are tied to the seasons, but whatever the reason, we instinctively know that the new year is the time to change. We could change at any time during the year, but we believe that the new year will give us the boost we need to succeed.
The problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that they most often only address behaviors with which we find fault. “I’ll work out more, I’ll spend more time with my family, I’ll keep my cool in Tulsa traffic.” While the changed behaviors are often positive changes, they are only symptoms and not the sickness, the effects and not the causes. We need to take an honest look at where we are, looking past the outward behaviors we want to change and into the core of our heart. Sometimes we need to forget the cosmetic changes, and instead, start over.
Start over? What a frightening prospect. I want to change, but I only want to change my last action, my last decision. But in order to really change we have to start over.
What was the first step of the journey that brought you to the behavior you want to change? What was the first thought that made you take that step? What was the circumstance that helped shape that thought? Until you understand the journey that created the undesirable behavior, you cannot really change it.
I find great comfort in the scripture above. The people of Israel are on their way into exile, but God speaks such love and hope over them. Here he reiterates what he has spoken throughout scripture. "They will be my people, and I will be their God." Did you know that this sums up the desire of God throughout history? God desires to be in relationship with his people—from Adam and Eve, to the Children of Israel, to you. How does that have anything to do with my new year’s resolutions? Simply this, in God is all our hope for change. It is when we daily surrender to God that first step, that first thought, and ask him to free us from that path and set a new path before us, that we find the power to change.
Homework this week: Think about your New Year’s resolutions. Ask God, "How did I get here?" Listen for God to reveal that first step, and first thought. Surrender those to God and ask for God to walk with you on the new journey toward change.
The new year arrived, bringing new calendars,new hopes, new goals and a fresh start along with it. Perhaps it is because our lives are so tied to the calendar, perhaps it is because we are tied to the seasons, but whatever the reason, we instinctively know that the new year is the time to change. We could change at any time during the year, but we believe that the new year will give us the boost we need to succeed.
The problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that they most often only address behaviors with which we find fault. “I’ll work out more, I’ll spend more time with my family, I’ll keep my cool in Tulsa traffic.” While the changed behaviors are often positive changes, they are only symptoms and not the sickness, the effects and not the causes. We need to take an honest look at where we are, looking past the outward behaviors we want to change and into the core of our heart. Sometimes we need to forget the cosmetic changes, and instead, start over.
Start over? What a frightening prospect. I want to change, but I only want to change my last action, my last decision. But in order to really change we have to start over.
What was the first step of the journey that brought you to the behavior you want to change? What was the first thought that made you take that step? What was the circumstance that helped shape that thought? Until you understand the journey that created the undesirable behavior, you cannot really change it.
I find great comfort in the scripture above. The people of Israel are on their way into exile, but God speaks such love and hope over them. Here he reiterates what he has spoken throughout scripture. "They will be my people, and I will be their God." Did you know that this sums up the desire of God throughout history? God desires to be in relationship with his people—from Adam and Eve, to the Children of Israel, to you. How does that have anything to do with my new year’s resolutions? Simply this, in God is all our hope for change. It is when we daily surrender to God that first step, that first thought, and ask him to free us from that path and set a new path before us, that we find the power to change.
Homework this week: Think about your New Year’s resolutions. Ask God, "How did I get here?" Listen for God to reveal that first step, and first thought. Surrender those to God and ask for God to walk with you on the new journey toward change.