A NEW BEGINNING
NOTE FROM BARNEY: Happy New Year to you all. I’m thankful to have endured the challenges of 2023. Looking forward to new possibilities from God in 2024. Linda’s celebration of life is Saturday, January 20 at 11:00 AM at Santa Rosa Christian Church, 1315 Pacific Avenue. If you can’t attend, here is the link to watch it live online: https://youtube.com/live/Pu_cS2Brrno?feature=share
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Sunday, May 18, 1980 near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Shortly after returning from church, I glanced to the west, and observed a pitch-black cloud approaching. As it turned out, Mount St. Helens had exploded. Although two hundred miles away, because of wind direction, we were in its path. The sky grew dark with an ominous feeling of midnight at midday. Streetlights came on and our chickens roosted. An hour later, gray volcanic ash began raining on us, producing a surreal tingling sound. It covered the ground about an inch, leaving us with an eerie sense of awe.
Mt. St. Helens’ explosion created the largest landslide in recorded history. Scientists predicted it would take decades—perhaps even centuries—for the terrain to recover. But they were shocked to discover that very quickly the landscape began sprouting with new plant life. The seeds of new species of plants, thought to be extinct, were uncovered during the mudslide, and quickly began to grow.
That’s how God operates in our lives as well, bringing restoration out of wreckage. Sometimes it takes a disaster to bring forth undeveloped parts of our character. Tragedies often form the foundation of a new beginning, whether in nature or in our lives. In Joel 2:25, following a locust infestation that nearly destroyed the nation, God promised, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (NKJV). God loves to renew our lives, following our disasters, bringing blessings out of burdens.
Perhaps 2023 was the worst year of your life. Perhaps there were moments when you wondered if you’d make it through. But as we face a new year, we’re blessed to turn a page in our lives—to put behind us the pain of the past year, and focus on God’s promises. Let’s open our hearts and minds to him, so we can receive his healing. Despite my personal pain in losing Linda this past year, I’m excited for the renewal God wants to bring in my life in 2024.
In Philippians3:13-14, Paul states, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” Of course, we don’t literally “forget” the past—nor should we—but we can turn our focus on what lies ahead. Let’s open our hearts up to God in 2024, so the Lord can renew our lives in a fresh way.
Principle: God loves to renew our lives following our disasters.
Ponder:
What dark times did you experience in 2023 that you want to release to the Lord?
What hopes for renewal in your life are you anticipating God doing in 2024?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Philippians 3:1-14.
Prayer: Loving Father, I experienced a number of hard times in 2023. Help me release them to you, and renew me in 2024.