New Beginnings

I love new beginnings. I love New Years and the First Sunday in Advent and the First Day of School (Yes, I capitalized that on purpose!) and Spring Cleaning and even the start of Daylight Savings Time. I love any opportunity to start over, to start fresh, to experience the grace of a new beginning.

I know that all of you are not looking forward to the New Year with the same kind of enthusiasm I am. I know that financial news is grim. I know that many of you will enter 2009 unemployed or underemployed. I know that many of you have endured broken hearts and broken dreams this year and it seems that even a thousand new years will not ease the pain.

I know that some of you carry the guilt of having hurt or failed others. Some of you walk daily under the burden of feeling that you will never be good enough for your partner, your children, your parents, or your associates.

On this New Year's Eve, I hope you will allow yourself the grace of a new beginning. Just for this day, know that you are created in the image of a God who is love, who is goodness, who is kindness, compassion, joy, hope and every good and beautiful thing. Know that you cannot destroy that, void it, ruin or renounce it. Just for this day, believe that with all your heart. Speak from that knowledge, act from that knowledge, and love from that knowledge.

Just for today, let your heart believe this promise from 2 Corinthians 5:17: Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

Look at it! Celebrate it! Believe it!

Happy New Year,