Have you held on to the dreams and values for your life or do you find yourself growing cynical and sometimes, selfish? What is the dream that God has for your life? Are you in need of a new beginning? I want to offer three things to think about when reflecting on God’s call for your life.
#1 TRUST THE GRACE MOMENTS
These are the moments when God’s love intersects in our lives, when the unexpected occurs and takes you in a direction you never expected. Looking back in retrospect allows us to see the blessings from these unexpected moments, more clearly. Are you willing to trust the grace moments that God provides for your life?
#2 EMBRACE YOUR PAST
The past should never determine your future, but it does become a part of your story or journey. God promises that we are forgiven and that allows us to look back on our past and be assured that God still loves us and provides us with new beginnings at every turn. The Bible gives us so many examples of new beginnings and one that is so inspiring is the story of Jacob. I encourage you to read his story, beginning in Genesis Chapter 25. Even if you’ve read it before, it’s a powerful reminder that our creator is the God of new beginnings.
#3 FOCUS ON OTHERS
Finally, we have to reflect on our lives and decide if we will move past our own selfish needs to consider others. Jacob’s life, for example, had been all about his own needs, “What can I steal from my brother, Esau? What can I steal from my father? What can I steal from Laban?” Eventually, he reached a point when he longed for reconciliation with his family and this was a pivotal moment in his journey.
When we are willing to trust in those grace moments, embrace our past in the light of God’s grace and turn our focus to the needs of others, it opens the flow of love in our lives and propels us to see the new beginnings that God offers to each of us!
