We are one month into this new year of 2020. I know, it feels like 3 months…why is January creeping by so slowly? But needless to say, it has been one month. I am sure that on New Years Eve many of you made resolutions for this new year. Some may have resolved to diet, to lose 100 pounds, to start running, to eat healthier, to meet new people, make new friends, to deepen the relationships you have, to travel more, to make more money. Whatever resolutions you may have made, there are some things you need to know. Put God in them first and foremost. Then, realize that change can be difficult and brace yourself for what is to come. Let grace and patience be your motto. Then, follow these next steps.
Pray first. Is your resolution a realistic one? Is it something you have prayed about? Asked God for help with? If the answer to these questions is no, then maybe now is the time to sit and reevaluate what your goals are. Make sure they are right for you. Do not take on someone elseś goals as your own. We are all different and going through life at our own pace. Find your pace, then move forward. Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" Let His plans become your plans. We all must learn to put our own self-will to the side and pick up the Lords will for us. This is not easy, but it is necessary to move forward into the best life for ourselves. Prayer is and always will be the first step to any change. It takes prayer and God to help you see what changes need to be made.
Second, it is not instantaneous. People cannot change a trait they have had all their lives in a day. It takes time. God works in His perfect timing, not our timing. Do not expect to get where you want to be without putting in the work necessary to get there. Ask God to help you work on one specific area. Focus on that one thing for as long as it takes, when you feel at peace, begin working on something else. Deuteronomy 31:8 says "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Yes, change takes time, but have peace in the fact that you are not going at it alone, God is there with you, helping and guiding you along the way.
Third, change is inevitable. Whether we choose to want to change or not, it will eventually come. Change is a good and beautiful thing. We were created to change. No one is perfect, which means we all can grow. If the word change scares you, replace it with growth. Growing is a part of life and God wants to grow us a little bit every day if we allow him to. Give him the go ahead and begin the journey with courage knowing that he knows where we need to be and has our best interest at heart. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." The Lord is our protector. He knows things we do not. He knows our beginning and our end, where we sometimes struggle to remember what we have planned for tomorrow. Trust in the fact that he will only take your where he will be with you. Finally, I want to say that we, all on this earth, must change in order to grow, to be who we were created to be. But the Lord is perfect in all of his ways. He needs no change at all. And because of that, we can trust that what he says, he means. That means that what is in the bible is not old news, they are not words that were meant for another time, they are applicable to each and every one of us today. God does not change. He needs no change. His words do not change. His promises will never change. His passion for you will not change. His love will not change. Malachai 3:6 says "I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob , are not destroyed." Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Because He is perfect, we can be made perfect in His image.
Change, growth, is a tough road to walk. But keep walking anyways. Continue on. On the tough days, talk to your Maker, ask Him for strength, He will not withhold it from you. And on the easy days, give Him praise for carrying you, for giving you the strength to keep going. You have the potential to go wherever you allow God to lead you, and that my friend is a truth that can move mountains.
