The Well- January 1, 2021

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing. Scripture- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”- Hebrews 13:8 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the […]

Written By Doug Hall

On January 1, 2021
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Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.

Scripture- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”- Hebrews 13:8

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

Insight- “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”- C.S Lewis Happy 2021! It is a New Year and with that brings new hope. We like the idea of new beginnings and we should. We have all probably wanted a do over in certain areas or aspects or decisions of our life where we blew it, either in 2020 or before. 2020 was hard on so many levels but the good news is, while we can’t go back and change our previous decisions and their consequences, we can begin again where we are, and create a new ending, as C.S. Lewis said above. One area where I want to start afresh in 2021 is learning to be more disciplined in what I try to “hang on” to. I was gripping things in 2020 too tightly that were not worth the pressure, and it caused me much distress. But I must be realistic that the only real constant in the world is change. Unless my hope is 100% in Jesus Christ, the “rock” on which I build my foundation who “is the same yesterday, today and forever,” I am setting myself up for great pain all over again in 2021.

So, what are some of the things that I was hanging onto too tightly that began to change and cause me great pain and distress and may be the same for some of you? Here is a brief list: my career, my income, my financial resources, my stability, and my perspective. These were all things that I had felt were somewhat under my control, only to find out how fragile all of them really were. Then we can add external factors such as a Global Pandemic, which can leave us shaken to our core about how quickly things can change. We also have a never ending list of external factors that seem like they may never go away such as global terrorism, corruption at every level of Government, political discord, and the general breakdown of morality across society, all of which leave us finding it hard to find anything that seems stable. In fact, nothing is stable apart from the truth of God’s love and His promises found in hope of Jesus Christ. It is easy to become disoriented, distracted and discouraged in all that is going on around us. Too much change leaves us exhausted and feeling insignificant. That is why it is so important to know where to look to find some stability in our world. Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the One who never changes in a world that is constantly changing, the only One on whom we can build a firm foundation, the One who is steadfast in His commitments, the only One who has the power to forgive our sins and free us from the bondage of our past. In Him alone, we are forgiven, free and fearless.

So, in 2021 we must focus our gaze on Him, the One who can restore our sense of equilibrium, inner peace and hope and protect us from the craziness that is taking place in the world. As King David wrote is Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” If the Lord is your shepherd, there is nothing you lack! Let that sink in for a moment. That is a though that brings us stability in a world that lacks it! I learned in 2020 just how painful it can be to try to cling to things that our not ours to keep and that are constantly changing. The loss of “things” in 2020 that I mistakenly thought I controlled left me reeling and miserable. In 2021, I am starting over with trusting in Christ alone, the Cornerstone on which I can build a firm foundation that will not change amidst the winds of change that are swirling all around us.

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