Grace Didn't Die...
In a years time a baby can be born, cut a tooth, eat solid food and learn to walk. Some folks can kick a habit in a year. It could take someone a year to lose fifty pounds.
A life can change completely in a year. Families gain members, lose members, break up, make up, move.
I can hardly remember yesterday much less a year ago. It's flown by though, I know that.
If I think real hard, and flip through photos on my phone, I can dredge up some good memories and some bad ones from the past 365 days. Life ebbs and it flows and that's okay. If every day were the same then life would be really boring and we'd never learn anything. Having tough times makes us appreciate the good times all the more. While scary and sad times teach us that we aren't invincible and we need each other. Being lost helps us realize how much we need salvation.
Once, I took a whole year off. There wasn't an agenda, no to-do list. I sat. I thought. I picked apart my feelings and I listened.
This past year I took a hop of faith, not a full leap-just a hop. I've learned much and I'm still learning. Still wrestling. Still dragging my feet and holding close to things I'm not ready to sacrifice to give more seriousness to my venture. I've got to dirty up my knees a bit. Get the dust off my Bible and get dust on my knees.
Oh sure, I read the Bible and pray daily, but this summer I've allowed things to sideline the stability and seriousness of my dedication. My commitment. I feel like I've loosened my grip on God's hand to where I'm grasping to the end of His fingers while I'm stretched toward everything else, reaching as far as I can while not quite letting go. And He waits.
He waits and He watches. Never pulling His hand away, but never leaning toward my distractions. He's there, but not following. No. He's waiting for me to turn around.
I'm ready now. Ready to turn around, grab His other hand and look into His face. I'm ready for Him to pull me back into His embrace and whisper to me in my quiet time. He has plans for my next 365 days and I'm ready to follow where He leads me.
Behold, the old shall fall away and all things shall become new. (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21)
It's never too late, or too early to turn things around.
