“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” T.S. Eliot
“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.” C.S. Lewis
Paul and I were talking about some temporary setbacks this morning – little annoyances that seem to creep into our lives and send us into a tizzy. For example, with the terribly cold temperatures this week, the pipes leading to our kitchen sink froze and we’ve been trying to deal with it, without having to call a plumber. Yesterday, we came home to a sick dog – again, and since he is getting older, the first thing we think of is serious illness and possibly losing this loved animal which has become part of our lives.
These are little things, that peck away at your confidence and faith, yet they gnaw away at us. All throughout our marriage, we’ve struggled financially – we’ve dealt with illness – we’ve watched many of our dear friends pass away this year- we’ve discovered that downsizing was a good thing, but we still have to work in order to pay all of our expenses. The devil loves to tap into our weaknesses. He knows what gets under our skin and he uses those things to pull us away from the One who can change all our circumstances if we simply ask.
Entering a new year is like entering a new chapter. You feel you can start over – get right with the world and God – flip a new page and look forward instead of back. The past, however, has a way of creeping into your mind and hanging on.
This past week, we enjoyed the pleasure of having our S. Carolina family with us. It was a time of enjoyment, laughter, fun and just getting caught up. When they left yesterday, my heart cried and so did my eyes. We will be seeing them again in the spring when our oldest grandson graduates from college, but still the tears flowed, until I came upon this Bible passage:
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Those words give me confidence to open the door to the future. God has a plan for each of us and it will be great. With every day, we come one step closer to eternity. That means death will no longer stalk us – we will live forever without worry, pain or tears – we will inherit the Kingdom of God – we will experience perfection.
The past has been filled with blessings for all of us and we can find them everywhere. Sometimes it takes longer to find them, but they’re there. They’re the things which push us forward. Letting go of the mistakes, the bumbles, the misplaced judgment, the self-righteousness and turning instead to our Creator, we’re guaranteed a better tomorrow. Look forward with faith in Christ, Jesus, the One who made eternal life possible for all.
HAPPY NEW CHAPTER!
atimetoshare.me 
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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onward and upward—How is Gage?
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Gage is going through some stress issues I think. When we leave the house, we usually kennel him and this week when we did that he had an accident in the kennel. Our white dog wasn’t white for long. He seems better now that things are getting back to normal, but it’s 20 below and quite difficult to be outside to do what he needs to do for very long. I’m sending you a recent picture of him entertaining the kids when they were here, balancing a toy on his head. I’ll email it to you.
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This is my favorite post that I have read on your blog to date. In fact, this is my favorite New Year’s post of all the blog writers that I have read.
God bless and Happy New Year!
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Thank you, sweet Lady. I hope you are blessed with a wonderful new year along with your family. I’m so glad you were touched by my humble words😊
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Thank you, and may God bless you and your loved ones through this new year.
My husband and I put an offer on a house a couple of days ago. We are in our mid to late sixties — I’m the mid, he’s the late — and the thought of packing and moving everything we own, at this stage of our life, is daunting. But you did it not too long ago, right? When I feel overwhelmed and inadequate to the task, I shall think of you. 🙂
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We made the move a year ago. It was extremely difficult going through a lifetime of stuff, but very much worth it. It force us to purge unimportant things that our kids wont have to deal with when we’re gone. You can do it. Ask God to give you the energy and the willingness to let go of stuff. We were 74 when we did it.
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74 does not seem so old to me. Which is funny, because I remember when I turned 30, I thought I was ANCIENT! It’s all a matter of perspective, I guess.
However, moving, going through all our things, as “senior citizens” – – oh my! Eek!! Yes, we will pray for the Lord to give us strength! We are only doing this move because we believe the Lord is leading us to. The church we now attend, which we love, is 60 miles from where we live now, but only a couple of miles from the new house. Our dearest friends live in that town, too. But… although the seller gave a verbal yes to our agent over the phone when he was told about our offer, so far he has not signed. So we are praying fervently: “Thy will be done!!”
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I will pray along with you for the offer to go through. It sounds perfect. I’m also happy to hear you found a new church where you feel comfortable. God has great plans for you. Have you
Finished your biography yet?
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I am still working on the first draft. This is another reason we want to move. Our current house is so tiny, I have no private place to write. With our 2 indoor dogs that want to be on my lap whenever I sit down, it’s really a challenge to write a book. But in the new place I will have my own writing room, and my own bathroom. Plus my husband will have his hobby room in the finished garage. Yaaaay!
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It sounds perfect.
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Keep writing, even if you need to leave the house to do it. You have an amazing story to tell that will encourage those going through similar situations .
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Thank you for the encouragement! It means a lot coming from you!
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