The beautiful thing about the a new year is the offering of a clean slate. It’s the opportunity for all of us to start over, let go of the past and look forward to the future. However, does this take into account the present? In the rush of the holidays, New Year’s resolutions, making 2016 the best year yet, some of us have already fallen off the wagon of change. As a matter of fact, the second week in February is when most people give up on resolutions or commitments made in January. In this, we have lost the present.
Goals are supposed to be S.M.A.R.T., meaning they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. I’m not saying, goals are unimportant, on the contrary, study after study has shown written goals are more likely to be obtained. However, I wonder, in all the goal setting and sometimes failing, have we lost track of what it means to accept ourselves as we are? What if we took 2016 and moved forward from where we are at? Is it possible to stop beating ourselves up over past mistakes, where our idea of how things should have gone didn’t meet the reality of what we expected? Are we able to let go of the future and what could be and leave it up to God?
I ask myself, do I trust God enough to allow Him to handle my present? Do I trust Him enough to know that He is working out some of the bad choices in my life for His glory? I wish my answer was always “yes” to these questions. Unfortunately, many times I don’t see God working in my timeline, so I lose faith that things are working out. I can stand on the promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (NKJV)
With this in mind, who am I to question a God when my life takes a 90 degree turn from the bumper car of life? Who am I to question a God who knows all and sees all? Because I’m human that’s why.
God understands I’m human and loves me anyway. Go figure. He understands you’re human too. With all our idiosyncrasies and quirks, He loves us more than anything else He created. We are the apple of his eye. I challenge you to say out loud, “I’m God’s favorite. I’m God’s favorite.” What does that do for our confidence that He has everything under control? Because, guess what, you are His favorite and He does have it under control!