Happy New Year. My favorite part of starting a new year is new. Many are motivated to start exercising. I am motivated to let go of the sadness and difficulties of the year past and begin anew. I am motivated by God’s promise to make me new.
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again. (Isaiah 58:9-12 MSG).
There is a long list of abuse, anxitety, depression etc where God has entered my empty places to build anew. Each time I have had to face my own darkness, I get uncomfortable. I don’t want to do it. Each time, God has restored my old ruins.
Every year God shows me a new area to dig into, so He can build anew. Every year I hesitate and then remind myself of the old broken me. This gives me the strength to keep going.
This year looks to be a continuation of the work I started almost 2 years ago. The anxiety is minimal now, but I want all of it gone. Rebuilding with a strong foundation takes time. Friends and family might not notice a difference, however I feel the difference everyday. I can’t wait to see the restoration He does this year. Will you join me?
How is God building you a new foundation? Are you willing to become uncomfortable in the process? Can you see a life without the darkness? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.