We’re at the time of year where the calendar is about to flip the page on the current year as we make our way towards the year to come.
The old is about to give way to the new. The literal and proverbial ball will drop signifying the transition of one year to the next. We are collectively turning the page from the former to the latter.
So too it is with our lives. Seasons come and seasons go.
Some seasons appear to remain longer than we anticipated as we hold onto the former when we are meant to let it pass and become part of our history.
In my life God has always proven Himself faithful.
However, I will admit with zero hesitation that life is hard and it plays itself out in seasons of sustained difficulty.
There has been a continual pounding of the waves on the shore of my heart which has left me wobbly in my attempt to navigate the terrain and steady myself.
As a couple, we have had chapters occur in our life which have left us disoriented and disappointed.
The enemy of our souls has assuredly attempted to rob, kill, and destroy us. To be truthful, it has weathered us.
I am looking for my Father to take us in His arms and to repeat what He has spoken on many occasions, “I have your back my son, my daughter. It will be OK.”
I am not looking for sympathy, I am simply being real and I know I am not alone.
My educated guess is you can attest to similar circumstances in your own life. You are not immune to the day-to-day pressures you face. You have had your share of trials which have caught you off-guard.
You might not want to admit it, but you too have been disoriented and disappointed. You have experienced heartache and you have obtained a few scars in the process.
Hope is always present and comes in many forms.
Recently, a post-election message offered on a Wednesday night at our church shed enough light to render a personal dose of hope. The speaker, Bishop Joseph Garlington, founding pastor of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh said this:
“What has happened had to happen so that what is about to happen can happen.”
Bishop Joseph Garlington
Our eyes are often fixated on the rear view mirror, looking back at what has happened in our lives from a negative perspective and with a sense of loss. We lose sight of the windshield in front of us which serves as the pathway for what’s next and the potential opportunities which await.
Personally, I have experienced my share of workplace disappointments and disruptions which have kept me from turning the page. At times I have allowed these experiences to define me and they have kept me from moving forward.
Your sense of loss may have resulted from relational issues which may have left you second guessing your way through it all.
Nonetheless, whatever has happened in our lives is no reason to keep us stuck in the past.
To repeat, that which has happened had to happen so that what is about to happen can happen.
It’s time to turn the page and walk in a new chapter. God is faithful and His Word always provides an encouragement or solution.
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. ‘For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT)
My heart resonates with a challenge offered in my favorite book, Wild at Heart, written by John Eldredge.
Let’s turn to Chapter 12. Pages 219-220. Under the title of Writing the Next Chapter.
“Now reader; it is your turn to write – venture forth with God…We are free to change the stories by which we live…we can do so because we actively participate in the creation of our own stories. ..obey God in the thing he shows you and instantly the next thing is opened up.”
John Eldredge – Wild at Heart
Rather than get stuck on the barbed-wire of regrets and disappointments, we have a say in the matter as to what’s next. We can let go of the past to invite the new.
We not only have the ability to turn the page, but we get to fashion a new narrative. Tell a different story. Change the status quo.
In the song, Tell Your Heart to Beat Again, by Danny Gokey these lyrics offer hope that what has happened in your life can be a springboard to what can happen – if you will let it.
“Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday’s a closing door
You don’t live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you’ve been
And tell your heart to beat again”
Talk about a lifeline which offers much hope.
You and I have the opportunity to say goodbye to where we have been, closing the door on yesterday to make way for tomorrow and the next chapter.
As for you as well as for me, it’s time to turn the page and discover the new chapter which awaits us.
The choice is up to you and I.
Turn the page. Tell your heart to beat again.
Here’s praying this helps you discover a place called Hope!