Making A Shift
This is an interesting time of year. One year has drawn to a close and another opens. I was looking back at some of the things that I have written in the past at this time of year. Usually it is upbeat with the promise of a new year and all that can bring for us.
December 2019 was one of those years. Not only did we have a new year in front of us but we also had a new decade. I was pumped. I had plans for Nancy and me and for Awesome Marriage. We were going to celebrate 50 years of marriage on January 2, 2020. Awesome Marriage was growing in ways I could not have imagined. 2020 was going to be great.
Then we had a pandemic and 2020 did not go the way any of us planned. That cloud still hangs over us in so many ways. Marriages have struggled. It has seemed much easier to be critical than thankful. We have focused on what we don’t have more than what we have. We compare ourselves, our spouse. and our marriage to others. We get bogged down in the negative and see little of the positive. Our reality is that the world may never change. In fact it could get worse in 2022.
Yet, we can change. We can shift our focus and our thinking. We can focus on the positive and not on the negative. We can make our list of things to be thankful for. In Philippians 4:4-7, God tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Read that verse again. Read it over and over until it sinks in. Think about this. Most Biblical scholars agree that Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians while he was in prison under house arrest in Rome. Paul knew a lot about hardship. God did not give Paul these words when everything was going well. Instead, He gave them when things were rough. I don’t know your circumstances but I do know God. His promise to Paul is His promise to us. God never changes and cannot lie. He is always there for us. It’s the good news of Christmas to take with us into this new year.
This week I am writing down everything I am thankful for. Then I am going to thank God for everything on the list. I am also making a list of everything I worry about that I can do nothing about and giving all that to God. My final list consists of those things I can do something about and then asking God for His guidance and wisdom in each of these. Finally I made a new daily checklist for me for 2022. Here is my checklist:
Rejoice every day
Be aware of God's love and nearness
Do not be anxious
Take everything to God
If I consistently do these every day in 2022, it does not matter what else 2022 brings. As I make these a daily habit, God will guard my heart and my mind. He will do great things. Guess what? He will do the same for you!