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But they were not able to recognize who He was. Luke 24:16

During my growing up years, we spent almost every weekend (weather permitting) on Lake Seminole. Our family, along with some cousins and friends, swam, skied and hung out there pretty regularly. We picnicked and even went so far as to camp out one weekend!

Our Daddy dealt with four ladies under his roof, and although we were pretty good at cooking and cleaning, we left it up to him to handle everything concerning our ski boat! There have been lots of times when the motor would give out in the middle of the lake and Daddy would paddle us all to shore. The rest of us were not quite as adept, and we usually ended up making the work harder for him rather than better!

Flash forward years later when Randy and I made a trip to Montana to visit friends, and one of the activities of the day was kayaking. Randy grew up paddling his small boat all over it the lake in front of his house as part of his boyhood, and he was good at it. When our friends brought out the kayak and handed us the paddles, Randy looked at me and said, “Can you paddle?” My answer was, “Of course”. The lake ended up being huge, and the current working against us in the middle of it was strong.

I was paddling along in what I thought was perfect tandem, when I noticed that we weren’t making much progress. It was about that moment when Randy turned to me and said, “Put the paddle down! You are paddling against me.” I put the paddle down, relaxed in the kayak, and enjoyed the scenery while he paddled. When we reached shore, he looked at me and said, “Just so you know, you can’t paddle! You are so lucky I was in there with you.”

Although I wanted to help paddle, my way wasn’t working. I needed someone with experience in the boat with me. This is so like the way we operate with God. We want to do it ourselves, and even though many times our way isn’t working, we don’t want to give up the paddle.

In order to navigate this life, we need to humble ourselves before God and put the paddle (control) down. We have to admit our way isn’t working. and let Him take the paddles. There are a few reasons that we don’t like to put the paddle down. I think our pride, our stubbornness, and our fear are three of the biggest obstacles to putting down the paddle.

Pride can keep us from putting the paddle down because we don’t want anybody to know that we can’t handle our situations by ourselves. It’s important that we seem self sufficient.

Stubbornness can be a part of our problem in putting the paddle down. We don’t want to change the way we do things. We are simply not willing to trust God with the paddles.

Sometimes we are afraid to give up the paddles. What if that doesn’t work? What if God doesn’t paddle where I want to go? Fear is our constant companion, and we are afraid to give God a chance to make it better.

It’s easy to lose perspective in the middle of life’s problems especially in a year like the past one. Two of Christ’s own disciples had that experience on the Emmaus Road. They were discouraged about Jesus’ death and going over all the things that had happened when Jesus came up and walked along with them. They were not able to recognize him because they couldn’t put the paddle down. They wanted to be in control. The very one whose death they were mourning was alive, but their focus was on the wrong thing. Everything changed when Jesus revealed himself to them, and within the hour, they were on their way back to Jerusalem to tell others how they had recognized Him, and that He was alive.

During the next few weeks of Lent, we could all benefit from inviting Christ to paddle our boat and just relax and enjoy the beauty and blessings all around us while we celebrate the fact that He is alive!

George Mueller says; “God has never failed me. Even in my greatest difficulties, heaviest trials, and deepest poverty and need. Because I was enabled by God’s grace to trust Him, He has always come to my aid. I delight in speaking well of His name.”

Live in me, make your home in me. John 15:4

Home is defined as the place where one lives permanently as in a member of a family or household. Home, for me, means the place where one finds joy, acceptance, encouragement, support, protection, purpose, identity, and rest. Everybody thinks about home when they need a little comfort.

The thing is, home doesn’t stay the same – it changes as our lives change. Randy and I both had growing up homes with different structures, memories, and identities. Each time we visit our hometowns, we never miss riding by our former homes because these were places, even though changed physically somewhat over the years, that still hold memories and love for us.

When I think of my growing up home, I think of days when I would ride with my Daddy down to the farm and stop at Johnson’s store. It’s hard to believe it, but Coke used to come only in returnable glass bottles, and the way to drink it was ice cold! If you wanted to make it even better, just get a package of salted peanuts, drink down a little of the coke, and pour some peanuts right into the bottle. Oh, the mixtures of salty and crunchy with that sweet coke was the best!! It’s nice every now and then to find yourself with a reminder of home. Even though my Daddy’s been gone sixteen years this month, the memories are still precious!

The homes we have known changed over the years. Randy and I spent his school years in an apartment, then moved to parsonages, and finally to our home of today. Each one became home to us. We were able to make our own traditions, create our own family memories, and feel God’s presence in each place. Even now, when we go back to these towns where we served, riding by our home is a a must. Memories just flood back in waves, and we still call it our old home.

I always loved the saying, “Come in, and make yourself at home.” My Mama used to say that people should feel welcome and accepted in her home. They always did. I think that’s what Jesus meant when he said, Make yourselves at home in my love.

We all need a place where we can lay down our worries, our weariness, and frustrations. Our souls need a place to call home, and Jesus wants us to be with Him. He doesn’t want us to enter as a guest, but rather as a family member that enjoys all the benefits that home affords.

Every time we travel away from home, the trip back home seems to be the longest leg of the journey. We wait impatiently in the airport, we wait for our plane, we wait to get our luggage, and we wait to get home. However, once we open that door and walk into our home, where the chairs are comfortable, the beds are softer, and the smells are familiar, we feel that peace of having arrived at home.

If heaven is anything like that, I can’t wait. Our home in heaven is a real place for real people. It does not consist of wood, glass, or mortar, but rather is resplendent with love, joy and glory.

All along our journey in this world, we get reminders of home. We read accounts of it in the Bible, we see the signs of it with God’s handiwork every day, and we experience it through loved ones and friends. The one constant in our lives is that the home that Jesus has prepared for us never changes.

Now, when I think of home, it is the place where we have spent the last thirty years, yet I know it won’t be the last home for us. It’s not the physical place but rather the loved ones who make the home.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place (home) in all generations. Psalm 90:1

Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

There is a story told of a Welsh woman who lived in a remote region in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have electrical power installed in her home. However, after several months the electric company noticed that, according to her bills, she hardly used any electricity. Thinking there was a problem with the hook up, they sent a meter reader out to her house to inquire. The woman came to the door, and the meter reader asked if there was a problem since she hardly used any electricity. The woman replied, “Oh no, everything is fine. We switch on the electricity every night to light our lamps, then we switch it off again.”

Sometimes I wonder if that’s how we use prayer. We switch it on when things are bad, wait for a quick answer, and then switch it off again. In other words, we demote it to the bottom of the list of things we believe will work for us. I hear this all the time, “If all else fails, let’s pray”. It could also be rephrased as, “If all else fails, pray for us.”

The truth is any believer can pray. We don’t have to be a minister or some superhuman Christian, we just need to be specific in our prayers and have faith. We need to pray with expectation but trust God to answer the prayers in His time and in His way. I know God hears us and cares for those of us who ask when we pray. We have all experienced a time when we need someone to pray for us.

During our years in Bowdon, there was a family who were the first friends we made there. Their children, Scott and Connie, were older than our kids, but they became like a big brother and big sister to Rob and Ashley. Their mom, Sherrod, is one of the best friends ever. We have stayed in touch over the years, shared our stories of children and grandchildren, and always reach out when there is a need.

Early one morning about six weeks ago, Sherrod called with news that her grandson, Hank, had been diagnosed with leukemia. She began the conversation with, “I just called to ask you to pray for us.” The call was not for anything material, the call was for no other reason than to ask us to pray. She did what we all should do, she put prayer at the top of the list rather than demoting it to the bottom of the things we think to do. Prayer is powerful.

Just like the woman in Wales, sometimes we don’t use the power that is right in front of us. Why not start with prayer? God can heal any way he wants – with a prescription or without. He can heal with our permission or not.

During the time of waiting for prayers to be answered, God is using doctors, nurses, research, procedures, even prescriptions to His purpose. While God is working, we should be doing a few things.

First, we should be thinking and praying positively and aggressively. There is much to be said for fortitude and mental attitude.

Secondly, we should count our blessings each day. Things like good doctors, nurses, family, friends, even spot blessings that just pop up! There is a great possibility that this experience will change a lot of people for good.

Next, we should continue to work, read, and lift up others. Staying busy is therapy. We are God’s workmanship.

Finally, we should claim God’s promises. God heals everyone in some way.

I think we are all amazed when, in the midst of life’s setbacks, prayer warriors emerge from places we would never suspect. Strangers hear of a need and join the prayer chain, long lost friends emerge to offer support, and families and friends come together in prayer. Pray for us is a motto because in saying it, we move from fear to fear not!

We serve a sympathetic Savior who is attuned to all our prayers. Let’s all pray for each other, and although Hank is doing great, please add he and his family to the circle of prayer.

He surrounds you twenty four hours a day. He is in you, with you, about you and before you. John R. Bisagno

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Acts 3:19

This week we begin the Lenten season by celebrating Ash Wednesday. During this 40 day journey to Easter, Christians everywhere focus on repentance of our sins in anticipation of the forgiveness that Easter represents. Many Christians give up some food, habit, or activity that is unhealthy or damaging to them to remind them of Christ’s sacrifice for them. It’s a form of fasting!

One of the funniest movies ever, in my opinion, is Doctor Doolittle starring Eddie Murphy. His role is one of a doctor who can communicate with animals, and they can speak to him. There is a little monkey in the movie who speaks with a French accent and who obviously has a problem with alcohol. Every time something happens while he is under the influence, he throws down his bottle and exclaims, I Give It Up! This is a stretch for the idea of fasting, but it drives home the point.

Fasting has become a popular thing in our society to aid in weight loss and to teach discipline. Fasting is defined as abstaining from all or some kinds of food and drink, especially as a religious observance. Most fasting involves temporarily giving up something that you enjoy. When you long for something you love like a cookie, you reorient yourself to something healthier. It doesn’t sound nearly as tasty, but that’s the point.

Christians might fast for dietary purposes or physical benefits, but dietary goals aren’t what makes fasting Christian. When the Christians fasts, it’s about what spiritual fruits we might receive from God in response to our purposeful fasting.

There are purposes in fasting. When we fast there are some rewards that we are seeking, such as a more meaningful prayer life, seeking God’s guidance, expressing repentance, or just humbling ourselves before Him to express our love and devotion. Without a spiritual purpose, it’s not really Christian fasting, it’s just going hungry!!

Janna Firestone tells of a different idea of fasting in an article. She said, “Catherine Marshall used a different approach in her fasting. She chose to give up her criticalness. In doing so, she realized that most people didn’t seem to miss her negative comments or heated political debates. God seemed to replace the energy she used correcting others with a new creativity to positively influence them.”

In thinking of the many times I might be critical of someone or something, it seems like giving up criticalness for Lent is the right thing for me to concentrate upon during this season. Randy would say nagging is a close second!!

During the last year, it’s gotten easier for me to be critical of almost everything from quarantining to what’s on Netflix. What I really need to do is give it up and focus on the positive. Instead of a critical vision, I need God to be my vision.

A critical spirit can make us lose perspective, joy, and even relationships. It can also prevent the good work God wants to achieve through us. Consider what could happen as a result of your own criticalness fast. Pray for God to do the correcting while you focus on building up others.

One of our oldest and moving moving hymns is Be Thou My Vision written by an unknown Irish poet in the eighth century. Some think it might have been St. Patrick. It was a prayer asking God to be his vision, his wisdom and his best thought by day or night. These words seem appropriate as we give up some criticalness for this season.

Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that thou art; Thou my best thought by day or by night; Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light. Set to music by Audrey Assad

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind. Secondly, love your neighbor (friend) as yourself. Matthew 22:37 & 39

As we enter into February, the month characterized by love, it’s a great time to grab onto the feeling that runs through this month. During this special month, our hearts, minds and emotions turn to all the different kinds of love in our life. Love is the emotion that gets a lot of attention both romantically, physically and emotionally.

Philia is the Greek word for brotherly love; the kind of relationship between close personal, nearest and truest friends. It is a special kind of love. Randy and I have some friends who never leave a gathering with us without this exchange: One of us will say, We love you; and the other will respond, We love you more. It’s become a tradition of sorts, and a gathering wouldn’t be complete without it.

I began to ponder how we can love someone more? It seems that there are many reasons that we might say I love you more to friends, and it’s dependent on the situation. In our situation, it’s a combination of many things such as: love you more because you make us laugh, love you more because you always listen to us, love you more because we feel safe with you, love you more because you host the best parties, love you more because your personality is awesome, love you more because you still laugh at the same old stories, love you more because you are always there in times of need, love you more because you are easy travel partners, love you more because you support us, and the list goes on.

In order to love someone more, there are some things we need to do. We need to love unconditionally, love sacrificially and love selflessly just to name a few.

When we speak of loving more, it needs to be said that in order to love people, you first must know those you love more. It takes time and a lot of water under the dam to truly know someone. Sharing life’s experiences, both good and bad, leads to loving unconditionally. Jesus would say that there’s nothing we can do that ‘s bad enough to make him quit loving us. The same can be said for people who love us more.

Sometimes to love more, we have to make sacrifices. Jesus said, greater love hath no man than this; to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 When we love you more, we don’t physically lay down our life, but we are willing to accept pain and suffering, to support, defend and comfort friends whenever needed.

When we love more, we must love selflessly. The best example of loving selflessly seems to be the story of the Good Samaritan, a man who took time from his own travel to help a wounded man by not only taking him to have his wounds treated, but also paid the price. If we love someone more, we are willing to take ourselves out of the equation and selflessly put them first.

There is no such thing as unloved Christians or friends. The Bible says whosoever believes in Him; therefore, Jesus’ love includes all of the whosoever’s. We have never been and will never be loved by anyone as much as God loves us.

We all have these kinds of special friends in our life that we treasure. Unfortunately, the longer you know someone, the more likely you are to take them for granted, look for faults, and remember the bad times instead of the good. We never want to be guilty of that, and we want to celebrate the friendship and love. So to all our friends, near and far, old ones and new ones, thank you for loving us more. We love you more, too.

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not see it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

I love to listen to books on Audible, and the last author had a profound statement when he said, There is one thing that we can count on in this world and that is that everything changes. Upon considering this statement, I began to realize just how true it is. Our personal everyday lives have changed so much in twelve months. The country has changed, the church has changed, social gatherings have changed, travel has changed, and our attitudes and priorities have changed. Instead of lamenting the words, everything changes, it should be a consolation when things are rough, and a reminder to stay humble when things are good.

The first thing I realized that is changing in our personal life is location. Our neighborhood has transitioned from a fairly stable one to one with a huge turnover in homes and just as many brand new faces. We’ve gone from knowing everyone to knowing almost no one. Stollers have replaced older kids driving, young families have replaced the mid life crisis crowd, and I see more toys than ever in the yards! People our age are relocating to smaller places and homes. Everything changes.

Traditions also are changing. I especially notice that in the church services of today. The sacred organ, choir and piano music of past years has changed to worship leaders and bands, and the robes and formal Sunday attire are not seen much anymore. Not too many years ago, cell phone usage was discouraged in worship services. Please turn off your cell phones was a message on the screen because it had become a frequent occurrence for a phone to ring about 11:55 just as the service was ending. Randy loved to say, Unless that’s God calling, hang up.

Now a days, people are encouraged to bring their phones to church to look up an app, look up scripture, and even take notes. Oh, for the good old days where we used the Bible ,the hymnals, kids colored on paper, and coffee and other containers were prohibited. This is a reminder that everything changes.

Change is also evident in attitudes of people these days. There is less conversation in the grocery store, less shopping opportunities and meeting up for dinner, not to mention the the day to day lives of friends and family has changed. Small groups are now the norm instead of a large group. Family members are leery of getting together, friends want to avoid risks, and people in general are keeping their distance. Everything changes.

Change is happening in the education of today’s children. Teachers are working harder than ever to teach virtually and face to face. When we talk about being on the front lines – we see the faces teachers. Students are missing instruction, personal care and socialization. Here’s a funny but scary thought, in twenty years these children who were taught at home by adults who were “day drinkers” will be running the country!! copied Everything changes.

Change is evident in the country. In 1960, John F, Kennedy made the statement: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. These days people seem to want the country to accommodate their wants and needs, but they aren’t willing to step up to try and do for their own country. We have had a new awakening of those who wanted to see change, and they got it! Now, let’s see if we are willing to work to make that change work for all.

The one thing that never changes in the midst of all this is the steadfast dependability of God. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So amidst the knowledge that everything changes, my thoughts are that God must be in the process of doing something revolutionary! He’s changing everything!!

Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. 1 Peter 2:17

It has long been said that life is what you make it. We can enter into each day with dread and fear, or we can enter each day with expectation and joy. In these times, it’s really difficult to keep our focus on the positive and start each day with habits that add to joy rather than detracting from it.

A habit is a settled or regular tendency or practice. Most of us have habits that we don’t even realize have become part of our daily routines because we do them without even thinking of it. If we already have these habits, maybe it would be good idea to make some of them holy habits so that we can not only do things for ourselves but for others.

Three holy habits that I am trying to incorporate into my daily life are compassion, respect and kindness.

Compassion is the reaction one feels deep within – like a kick in the gut. When we see sad news such as children starving, someone hurting, senseless killings, or everyday tragedies, it’s too much for us. The question is, what can we do? The need is so overwhelming that we can’t begin to meet it! However, God would have us show compassion to others.

The motto for our church for years was Compassion Into Action. I love it because even though it’s great to feel compassion, it does very little good unless we are moved to put it into action. Abraham Lincoln says: We must do for others what they cannot do for themselves, but we must not do for them what they will not do for themselves. In other words, show compassion but also extend hope.

The next holy habit is respect. We live in a rude world in this day and time, and it is only getting ruder. Common courtesy isn’t so common anymore, and, respect for people, property, and opinions is at an all time low. No matter where we go in this life or who we meet, we take our attitude of respect with us. Respect is what can make our daily encounters with others terrible or wonderful. Every one doesn’t have to think alike, dress alike or believe alike, but everyone does have to respect others.

The world right now isn’t setting a very good example of respect, but our Lord tells us that we should respect and honor all men and women. We all want to be respected by others and treated with dignity, so we must treat others as we would want to be treated.

Kindness is a given in this world. God cares about people, so we should care as well. Even if we feel uncomfortable reaching out to others, everyone has the ability to give a smile, a wave, or a kind word. Everyone responds to kindness in some way. Masks are making a smile difficult, but look to the eyes and see the kindness there.

As we go about incorporating holy habits in each of our lives, remember compassion, respect and kindness are some of the habits that show to others that we know God, and that we are willing to share and show our faith.

He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. Job 23:10-12

The year of our Lord 2020 has certainly afforded the opportunity for us to ask many questions. We have asked things like, “What is Covid 19? What do we do? Why would God let this happen? Where is God? Why weren’t we prepared?” and so many others.

I began to wonder, what if we could ask God one question and be guaranteed that He would answer? What would we ask? I would probably want to know why there is suffering? I would want to know why good and faithful Christians suffer? I would ask if we are penalized for trying to do good?

The pollster, George Barna, actually asked this question in a national survey, and the primary response to it was: Why is there pain and suffering in the world?

At some point in our lives, we will all face pain and suffering. It might not be all physical, but it is a guarantee. In the above scripture, Job was a good and godly man, yet all ten of his children died tragically in a single day. His wife wanted him to curse God and die, yet Job never betrayed God with his lips. He grieved deeply, but he never gave up on God. Even though I know he had lots of questions for God that went unanswered, he remained faithful.

This year we have personally lost several friends, relatives, and watched as many have suffered, yet God is still faithful. There have been times when God has seemed at his farthest away, but in those times, He is often the nearest to us. He helps us see the integrity and joy in the lives of those we love.

He has been near to us as we have take the time to remember the lives of our friends and relatives and all the joy they brought into our lives. Randy’s uncle Fredrick died recently, and the occasion marked the last of the brothers and sisters in the Mickler of Madison family. We remember this gentle doctor for all the babies he birthed in the community, his love of baseball, his beautiful voice, all the sports games he announced, his love of his family and friends, and all the people who loved him. He was excited to arrive in his heavenly home! He was always faithful and steadfast.

We lost our dear friend, Paul, this year after a battle with Parkinson’s. My question rears its head yet again. Although in the end, he was confined to a wheelchair and covid had sequestered him, he never lost his sense of humor, his love of family and friends, his love of his Men’s Club, his enjoyment of a mellow cigar, and his appreciation of a good scotch. He stayed faithful and encouraging.

Our friend Randy died this year as well. The question that I would ask is, “Why do good people have to suffer?” Yet, when we remember the assurance he had, the career he enjoyed, the stories he told, his love of family and friends, and his laughter, we feel joy for him and his new home. He stayed faithful and was always reassuring.

Our sweet friend, Debbie, died this year as well from cancer. There again, is the question of suffering. Yet when we remember her, we only see her laughter. her love of children, and her love of fun! This family have been friends since our daughters were in school together. Our daughters roomed at Ole Miss together, and we spent lots of good times in the grove. I can still see Debbie preparing her famous drink recipe, and us all laughing at the name of it. She always stayed faithful and upbeat.

Everyone of us has a name that is dear to us that could be inserted for the names I have listed above. The short answer to the question of why is there pain and suffering in the world appears to be: “Christ’s first coming was to save us from the penalty of our sin. His second coming is to save us from the presence of sin and restore paradise lost.”

The real question for us this day is, do we allow ourselves to give in to adversity or do we hold on to integrity as Job did? We either fall apart or we draw nearer to God. My prayer is that we draw closer and feel His presence and allow Him to comfort us until He answers our one question personally.

All things are possible for one who believes. Mark 9:23

A challenge is defined as a call to take part in a contest or an objection to the truth of something, often with demand for proof.

The times in which we are living are presenting some challenging days. We have watched as a devastating virus spreads through our nation and our world, we have lived through a contentious election, and now, in the aftermath, we are witnessing protests which are threatening authority, democracy, and our way of life.

Challenging days bring with them different feelings and emotions. We’ve heard people express anger, disbelief, fear, anxiety, and sadness. It seems as if there is a mountain that has been placed among us, and despite all our efforts, we as a people can’t make any progress in moving it!

Jesus said, Whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

If you have ever traveled out west, you know that when you behold the enormity of the Rocky Mountains – the height, the depth, the width -of them, no human mind can conceive asking them to move out of the way!! The closer you get, the more insurmountable they seem. Asking that mountain to move is a challenge far beyond human capability.

It’s noted that Jesus never physically moved or relocated a mountain in His ministry, so He was talking about the mountains of problems and challenges that we create or are thrust upon us in this life.

So, how do we as Christians go about doing our part to move the mountains in these challenging days? In the scripture above Jesus speaks only once about our need for faith, but three times He mentions our need to speak His word. Why is that? Because if we don’t have enough faith to move our mouth and speak God’s word, we won’t have enough faith to move these mountains in these challenging days and every day.

A dear friend reminded me lately of the ways our church came together in every tragedy since 911 to pray for God to move the mountain we were facing. As soon as tragedies of 911, the Gulf War, and Columbine occurred, the church came together for Holy Communion to speak God’s word and invoke His power to remove the mountains of fear, anxiety, lawlessness, and tragedy. There was much peace afterwards because we had renewed faith that God would listen to His people. We left with assurance that God would hear our prayers and move the mountains.

Something really wonderful happens when we verbalize God’s Word. Our ears hear it, our mind is renewed, our focus is changed, and our faith rises up within us. If we just hold onto that renewed faith, refuse to be discouraged or budge, and keep on speaking God’s word aloud, the mountain will begin to move.

Let’s put all the thoughts and doubts of our natural mind aside and stand on God’s promises. We must keep declaring, “We may not know how or when, but we know this mountain is moving.”

Keep the faith and remember, Before you can trust, you have to listen. But, unless Christ’s word is spoken, there’s nothing to listen to. Romans 10:17

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord. Teach me Your paths. Ps. 25:4

It seems impossible to me that it is time to usher in a brand new year! Of all my many years, this is the first time I can ever remember being joyful about the end of a year! This year of our Lord 2020 has afforded us all challenges we never in our lifetime thought possible. Through it all, we have stayed faithful and most of us can find blessings even in the tragedies and hard times.

We are now standing on the threshold of a brand new year of the unknown. A new year that brings uncertainty, changes, experiences, and needs. Who knows what we will find as we move through it? We can’t see what loss, sorrows, or trials lay before us, but we can know for certain that God is with us through it as He has been in the past.

This year in place of the usual resolutions to lose weight, exercise and improve my life (most of which I don’t seem to be able to keep anyway), my New Years Resolutions are many, but there are two on which I want to improve! The number one resolution for me this year is to get out of the comfort zones or ruts in my life, and encourage those around me to do the same. The second resolution for this year is to find the joy in life and all the circumstances surrounding it.

Two of the biggest fears in life are failure and criticism. No matter how hard we try to overcome them, they have a habit of showing up when we think of branching out of our comfort zone. If we think back on times we have branched out and risked failure and criticism, we learn that most times failure doesn’t do any permanent damage – it actually makes us stronger.

An unknown poet once wrote: I used to have a comfort zone where I knew I couldn’t fail; the same four walls of busywork were really more like jail. I longed to do some things I’d never done before, but I stayed inside my comfort zone and paced the same old floor. I said it didn’t matter that I wasn’t doing much, I said I didn’t care for things like dreams and goals and such. I claimed to be so busy with things inside my zone, but deep inside I longed for something special of my own. I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win; I held my breath and stepped outside and let the change begin. I took a step, and with new strength I’d never felt before, I kissed my comfort zone goodbye, then closed and locked the door.

The last year has presented many opportunities to lose the joy in life. Many of us have lost relatives, dear friends, cherished church members, and prayed with those who have experienced and are experiencing COVID first hand. We have sequestered, quarantined, worn masks, and socially distanced. We have hoarded toilet paper, paper towel, cleaning supplies, and food. We have lived in fear of the virus, and we have, on occasion, allowed it to suck the joy out of our lives.

This year, it is my goal to replace the fear with joy. Just like the angel said, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:10 In the midst of the fear of 2020, we only had to look, and there was joy everywhere. Everyone has experienced joy if we only go back and recall special times.

Our joy was evident as our extended family celebrated weddings, we rejoiced at the birth of a much anticipated child, we got together at the lake and held a mini family reunion, we met new and interesting people walking, we watched children learn to ride bikes, we celebrated seeing other friends on Zoom, we lit candles in a group of friends while singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve, we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, we reached out to those sequestered and laughed and talked, we have celebrated the little things in life, we’ve found new interests and began new traditions, we rejoiced at news of a vaccine, we learned that most things are unimportant, and we have learned patience knowing God will provide.

As we usher in with the new, there will always be memories, both sad and happy, of the old year, but we must always look for the joy.

Oswald Chambers said it best, this year be willing to do those things that seem unimportant in human estimation but count as everything to God.

Happy New Year and remember, Heaven is not beyond the clouds, it’s just beyond the fear. Garth Brooks