Reflection (Encore)

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...” Proverbs 23:7 Mirror, Mirror. We’re now at that reflective time of year, aren’t we? The holiday season makes us more introspective about the state of our lives. And New Year’s is the ultimate in that introspection. As one year comes to a close and another one begins, we can find ourselves wondering, “Am I any different/better now than I was a year ago? Will I be any different/better in the new year?” Thus, the New Year’s resolutions. Feel free to groan right here. Ah, yes, the ever hopeful promise/solution of the resolution. We look at ourselves with discontent, determining we have to change who we are because it isn’t good enough in some way. We see ourselves through the looking glass of subpar and believe that if/when we change, life will feel better for us in some way. And that’s not to discount making healthy choices and living in nondestructive ways. But let’s not confuse those actions with idolizing and banking on the resolution as a better, more relevant answer than God is in our lives. It isn’t and will never be. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 New Year’s Eve, with all of its tricky resolution traps, can leave us feeling like we’re walking through a minefield of funhouse mirrors. Only the reflection is never fun and can cut us with its jagged shards. But God wants different things for us. He wants us to feel hope, not dread, encouragement, not despair. I know; it’s a tall order, isn’t it? But, perhaps, we just need a small shift in our thinking. What if we spent some time viewing God’s resolution for us as more powerful, hopeful and lasting than our own? What if we spent time focusing on the victory of the Jeremiah 29:11 resolution, for example, instead of looking at the failure of our own imperfect and puny resolutions? “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” What if we entertained the reality that God is helping us, no matter what time of year it is? “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8 “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand, and whenever turn to the left.’” Isaiah 30:21 What if we resolved to begin to focus, however imperfectly, on the Promise of God’s Word and desire to love and bless us, even in spite of ourselves and any broken resolutions? “Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…” Isaiah 43:4 > “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3 What if we changed the focus of our reflection from reflecting on ourselves to reflecting on God in us, “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)? What would THAT be like? Let’s endeavor, as imperfectly as it may be, to approach not only the new year that way, but also God and our very selves that way as well!!! Happy New Year; happy 2014 and beyond!!! Copyright © 2013 by Sheryle Cruse