Stop! Breath... & Reflect

"𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑂𝑅𝐷 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑠."

~ Pʀᴏᴠᴇʀʙs 16:3 NIV ~

𝓐𝓽 this time of year, we are bombarded with advertisements for planners and list makers and dozens of ideas for how we can organize our lives in the coming year. Society tries to pressure us into believing that we'll only succeed if we have "all our ducks in a row". My guess is that God doesn't want those ducks in that row and may not even want us to have ducks at this moment in time. Maybe soft furry kittens, or prickly porcupines.

When I wrote my Advent books, I purposefully included a chapter to welcome and reflect on the new year. As I'm sure many of you do too, I sincerely believe it's important for our spiritual growth and so I make a point of intentionally reviewing and reflecting over the past year and pray over my year ahead.

At this time of year, the traditional ritual of making a list of "resolutions" rears its ugly head and the pencil and paper come out of the desk drawer. As the bullet points add up, so too do the odds of failure. So, why do we punish ourselves in such a way? Why do we, year after year, set ourselves up for failure?

In Deuteronomy 8, the Israelites were preparing to enter the land which God had promised them. As they journeyed through the desert, they learned to rely on God to provide them their daily manna. He was teaching them to follow His commandments and reminding them that HE ALONE was the source for their every blessing.

Too often, we can falter in our walk with the Lord; forgetting that it is HIS plan and abundant blessings that have gotten us to where we are. As the Israelites were warned in Deuteronomy 8:17 NIV, "Don't think to yourself, my own strength and abilities have produced all the prosperity for me." So must we today, keep this foremost in our minds.

This is the time of year for many of us, that we begin burdening ourselves with lists of things we believe need changing, doing, undoing, beginning, or ending. We pile these expectations on ourselves creating pressure that threatens to explode.

While the holidays may now be over, a new round of stress and pressure may overcome us. Dismantling the decorations, returning and exchanging wrong or undesired gifts, credit card statements that have spiraled out of control, returning to work to catch up on the piles of accumulated paperwork after vacation time. So, what are we to do?

Stop!

As Christians, we have given our lives over to Christ. However, in the hustle and bustle of a season of celebration, in a nature of goodwill, and in the rush to get the new year underway, we sometimes overburden ourselves with too many plans, unrealistic resolutions, and even unnecessary commitments. We can't enthusiastically honour God if we're run down and exhausted. That's why it's important to take a moment each and every day to STOP and read even just one verse of scripture relating to the miraculous gift of Christ's birth we just witnessed and the blessed ministry He went on to lead. Write it intentionally into your planner, block off a small chunk of time -even if it's only 10 minutes- and focus on the wondrous event that gave us God in the flesh and hope for eternal life.

Breathe!

We do this unconsciously. But, what if we focused, just for a moment, on inhaling and exhaling with eyes closed, visualizing the lambing cave, crowded with witnesses to the miracle of our Lord's entrance into the world? What if we picture Him as He imparted His 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 (Matthew 5)? Inhale ...... Exhale....... and quietly recall those beloved moments in your mind's eye.

Reflect!

The greatest gift of all is ours to celebrate! As the beloved verse, John 3:16 reminds us, "For God so loved the world, the He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

At this time of year, our hearts are overflowing with love and generosity, faith and compassion. So, as the year draws to a close, we can rest, remembering the treasure we have in our Saviour and look forward to a new year being guided by Him.

But, let's not stop there.

Over the years, I have learned to hold loosely my desire for change in the upcoming year by plotting out ideas rather than specific tasks. My list includes four categories: Mind & Body, Heart, Spirit, and Other. As I pray over my list, the verse Matthew 6:10 comes to mind, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." And, I know that the Holy Spirit will guide me in my efforts in both what I accomplish or what I skip over; it will all be according to HIS plan.

Let's remember each day to STOP, BREATHE, and REFLECT, asking our Creator how we can be a blessing to others.

Today, I pray we all take a grace-filled and gentle approach to how we face our New Year list for our fleshly selves, but focus more on our spiritual renewal. As the Apostle Paul encouraged his church in Corinth, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV).

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PAWS TO PRAY

Father God,

I pray today that You let Your Spirit wash over us as we welcome in a new year; that we may make time throughout our hectic schedules to STOP ....BREATHE ...and REFLECT. Lord, I pray we all recognize and cherish the richness You have provided each of us through the miraculous gift of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We acknowledge Father, that YOU have been and will always be our Provider; the abundance of blessings (just like the Israelites' manna) You shower over us is indescribable. More than thankful Lord, we are profoundly grateful for the bounty we enjoy in Your presence each and every day.

We pray Lord, that you guide and protect us as we step into a new year and remind us that it's YOUR strength alone on which we need rely. Help us Father, to use keen discernment in creating a New Year list that gives ourselves grace and points us always to YOU.

All these things, we pray in Jesus' holy name,

AMEN

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𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒀𝒐𝒖 & 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔