If you can imagine what it is like to be an unborn baby that is growing within its mother’s womb. It’s warm and secure, being fed and nurtured by its mother. Everything that it needs to grow and mature is available on demand, or so it appears. Life is really easy. It doesn’t have to think when it’s time to eat or time to sleep because it’s just naturally provided for. Even down to listening to its mother’s heartbeat to lull it to sleep. It’s perfection!
Happy birthday!
However, after 40 weeks of growing the time come when it has to be born. I know from experience that this is not an easy process for the mother and I also believe that for the baby who has been so protected also experiences the trauma of new birth.
Life outside of the womb must be difficult initially. The baby breathes air for the first time, sees things around them, feels warmth or cold, new tastes to experience and a few years down the road, running and jumping and loving life. The list is endless but without the painful and possibly shocking moment of birth it would never have experienced ‘life’ in their new world.
Time to break free
For many of us a new year is a bit like this. Somehow there is comfort in knowing that where you are right now is adequate and it feels at times as if this is the best that it can ever be. But is it? A new year brings horizons that you maybe apprehensive about. Perhaps it’s beginning a new school or college, or it could be a new job, starting a career for the first time, in fact, just about everything involves change. Living life is going to stretch your boundaries, it will not be comfortable but it’s worth it. Sadly to most people change is a challenge they are not prepared to embrace.
Let’s face it relinquishing the past is sometimes painful and feels inconvenient, yet without that step you will never get to enjoy the new experiences that tomorrow holds, where a bigger world awaits.
Following in others footsteps
If you feel that a new year is too uncertain, think about others whose example lights the way for our future. The Bible talks about Abraham, who left his father’s home and the place he knew but pursued a dream, a vision, a purpose that would change the world. His ability to face the challenge opened the door for others to live in a greater or a better future. Think about the children of Israel, who were called to follow a fugitive leader, Moses, through a desert. Experiencing hardships, getting to know about a miraculous God who was leading them to a land flowing with milk and honey.
Think about Jesus who left the throne room of heaven, for the joy of seeing us, who would put our faith in Him, changed to become sons of the Living God. He despised the inconvenience, the shame, the hardship to become the Saviour of us all.
Make a change
As we face this new year, what are you prepared to leave behind or change so that you can experience something new and live for a vision bigger than you have ever lived for before? Maybe it’s a good time to re-evaluate your life and give up something which is keeping you captive. It could be an addiction, it could be an unhealthy relationship, in fact it could be a number of things, even just being comfortable, but today is a new day!
God offers us another opportunity but it involves being willing to change. Moving from death to life by receiving Christ as your Saviour. Stepping from doubt to faith by believing the promise of God. Transitioning from living just to please yourself to having a purpose that goes beyond anything you have ever known because you are willing to obey God and follow Him wherever He leads you.
You just need to ask Him to reveal to you what you need in your life. He will do it for you and you will face the coming year knowing God in a way you have perhaps never known Him.