The other day, I was lamenting the loss of MTV’s music history. I made the comment that the 80s were awesome, and the 90s were fun…but somewhere in here, life stopped being fun. Prices started going up, making it impossible to do many things we used to do to treat ourselves any longer. More and more of our money goes to necessities, even to outrageous levels. Like many others, this year I faced an extended furlough, which added stress to already stressful situations. The political landscape hasn’t provided hope, nor help. It’s been a had year, and we need to take a deep breath for starting over.
The hope in a new year
It’s not a secret that our modern calendar doesn’t resemble that of our ancestors. The Biblical calendar started somewhere in September or October, and followed cycles of the moon. Their holidays are far removed from those popular today (even though there are groups that do try to celebrate them in some way). Regardless, the idea that we need a new year every so often – a place for starting over – is a carryover theme. Our minds, hearts, and spirits need a restart every 12 months or so.
Let’s fear the Lord our God, Who provides rain in autumn and spring and Who assures us of a harvest in its season. (Jeremiah 5:24, CEB)
While we often look at life as linear (a timeline) rather than circular (cyclical), the ancients saw life in the opposite way. They recognized life to follow a course of seasons, whether natural, spiritual, or both. This means the ancients understood three important things that are of help to us today:
- Life is going to be both good and bad, happy and sad, frustrating and great as it follows its cyclical course.
- God is still God, regardless of the place we find ourselves in a spiritual cycle.
- It’s important to praise and acknowledge God regardless of our circumstances.
These things might seem obvious, especially when speaking about starting over. However…we are quick to forget them when things mount against us. That’s why there is hope in each new year. We can look out over the landscape of life and see new possibilities as we mentally start a new cycle.
When the good doesn’t outweigh the bad
When it comes to the question of good outweighing the bad, a new start is almost always in order. Personally, I don’t think it’s easy to weigh good and bad from an equal vantage point. Sometimes good things are so good, they minimize the bad, even if there’s more bad than good. The same is true in reverse. Good and bad are two separate things and sometimes it’s impossible to ignore what stands in front of us.
In the new year, we are reminded that we always have the chance to start again. This is true, no matter how much good or bad we may encounter in a season. While we sit and debate over how much good or bad we experience, we overlook the importance of our spiritual opportunity to reset. There’s something about passing from December 31 to January 1 that helps us reset our inward resolve, breathe, and prepare for starting over. As we stand at that time of year again, we’re preparing for our new season.
The challenge of a new season
As much as we look to new seasons (often seeing them as an answer), they aren’t without challenge. In new seasons, we see our harvest by faith. There’s no sign of its manifestation, because it’s too early. We face hard, cold ground that doesn’t always cooperate. There’s times of planting, sowing, watering, and sprouting, often to frustration. Whether we go into our new year wanting to make natural improvements or spiritual ones, we will face challenges.
No magic wand will roll back prices at midnight or help the job market stabilize. Starting over in a new season doesn’t mean everything resolves itself easily. It simply means we regroup and push in harder as we deal with the changes of life and the attacks of the enemy. Breakthrough always comes. We may not feel it or see it, but that’s why we take a deep breath and begin the process somewhere to starting over.
Changing times require starting over
Many of us have been “going along” for some time now with a certain status quo. Some have opposed it, but don’t know how to turn the tide. Many were all right for awhile, but now suddenly are not all right. Right now, at this time, God is giving us the opportunity to start over. Even though life won’t be perfect in the new year, we can still find our place of breakthrough and empowerment. It’s time to accept that as much as past times might have been more fun, those days are now over. Accepting life as it is and trusting God as we move forward is more valuable than ever before. We handle this by doing the following:
- Regrouping and maintaining order when spiritual attacks find us
- Accepting that some things will remain unresolved
- Some people won’t be coming with us
- Things won’t be the same as they used to be
- Our new year is a new start, but won’t be a fantasy voyage
- Change isn’t always easy
- Not everything will change, but things that will require effort
Starting over and finding blessing
The term “blessing” literally means “to intervene.” No matter how bleak or difficult our times may be, God still blesses – intervenes – on our behalf. As we take our deep breaths and work toward starting over in this advancing new year, we know God’s perfect timing often doesn’t align with ours. We watch, wait, and remain centered in Him. Let’s rejoice in what’s good, and trust God for resolutions to come. If we look hard enough, we can see God waiting for us, as He’s already in the tomorrow we have yet to experience.
I will give them and those around my hill a blessing by sending the rain in its season. They will be rains of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:26, CEB)
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