New Year, New Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3: 22-24

My life has been so hectic the past several weeks.  I have not slowed down for hardly even a day.  It is now Christmas Eve and I’m not entirely convinced my shopping is done and I still have presents to wrap.  My kids are grown so we don’t have to put out reindeer food, milk and cookies for Santa or say goodbye to the Elf.  Christmas instead will be a day of sleeping late, coffee, presents, movies and making my Granny’s cinnamon rolls with my kids.  It will also be a day of quiet, rest and reflection.  I will be reflecting on the past year I’m sure.  It was an emotional roller coaster for me but it was a year of growth.   I did not even celebrate Christmas last year. I never decorated my house and woke up for the first time ever in my life by myself on Christmas morning, no one else in my house but me, the dog and 2 cats. I started the New Year grieving my dad, spring brought warmth as I started landscaping my back yard and working on my outdoor living area.  Summer was fun-filled as we enjoyed our first full summer with a pool. I was on an emotional high as I started writing my blog during this past summer.  But the high came to a peak as August, September and October brought on depression.   It came on suddenly, triggered by disturbing news, and set me back emotionally.  Through counseling, prayer and medication I came out of the depression.  God carried me during each of these seasons, each peak and each valley.  I started coming out of the depression because I realized His love for me is real and He continues to carry me as my strength endures.   My trust and hope in Him are my life line.

The struggles of life have been ongoing since the beginning, starting with the fall of Adam and Eve.  In Lamentations, Jeremiah is lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem and the punishment God was inflicting on the sinful Israel nation.  Yet he still had hope for the future because of God’s never ending love.  God is a sovereign God.   He is in control and His ways are good.  Jeremiah knew this without a doubt and knowing this provided his hope with the coming of the new morning.   I think Jeremiah thrived on this hope.  What else did he have to hold on to as Jerusalem fell at the feet of Babylon?   He prophesized the destruction, lamented it and knew God carried out his promises.   I too know God carries out his promises.  I know that because Jesus Christ walked this earth.  Jesus was not about death and destruction, except for his own death.  He was about life and love.

Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  I’ve read the exact date of his birth is not really known.  But the world will come together for this time to celebrate His life on earth.  We hope for peace on earth and good will toward men. That in itself is a reason to celebrate.  I choose to celebrate Jesus daily, his birth and his death.  Because of His death, I do have hope and newness every morning.   He will carry me through my continued trials and sufferings…like Jeremiah.

As this year comes to a close I want to take what I learned this year to continue to grow in God’s love next year.  It will be a year of newness for me.  I have a new church, new ministry, and new friends I look forward to getting to know better.  I look forward to spending more time with my forever friends and continuing to serve God and others when and where I can. I’m even looking forward to finally getting my garage cleaned out and organized!  Most importantly I will remember God’s sovereignty and his promises.   I know this life on earth is not perfect and I probably will have more setbacks but I do have hope in Him every morning.