We are ending 2023 just as we have all the other previous years; thinking about the past and the future. Some of us may be thinking about new year’s resolutions, and some may be living in the pain of loss, regrets or hurt. What can we do to transition into the new year a little better than we have before?
I know that starting off the year by cleaning house, (our mind body and spirit) could go a long way to jump start this new year in good order. How? By doing a personal reset. Here are a few suggestions.
Personal reset step number one:
I believe we all have things we said or did that we regret from 2023. It would be very beneficial to spend time in prayer asking the Lord to forgive us for those things. We can ask the Lord to help us let go and be able to forgive ourselves. Maybe we need to forgive others or maybe we need to ask others to forgive us to mend a relationship. We may need to take out this type of garbage in our house (mind, body and spirit) because it may stink up our whole new year causing continual grief, hurt and shame. Don’t bring it into 2024. Remember unforgiveness hurts you and your future! It can also cause serious problems in relationships. You can’t make others forgive you but you can ask. With God’s help, let your anger go, and pray for those that won’t forgive you or for those that hurt you. At lease you can clean your house (your mind, body and spirit) and free yourself!
Philippians 3:13-14 NLT No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Psalm 51:7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Personal reset step number two:
Another beneficial thing we can do for ourselves, is to spend time in prayer, praying for strength and guidance so we quit making the same dumb mistakes and learn to trust the Lord more. We need a renewal of the heart and mind. Maybe evaluate ourselves and answer some questions like: Why do I keep doing that? How can I stop doing these things? How can I make some changes? First, figure out the reasons behind the things you want to stop or change. These are the concerns you and God need to work on. It will be very difficult to keep any kind of new year’s resolution unless you address these challenges.
Personal reset step number three:
Look back on the year and remember the good things and offer them to God with prayers of thanksgiving. Maybe you lost someone and it devastated your life, I know this full well. (See the personal note about grief below.) Begin to think along these lines: did I ever go hungry? Did I have a home to live in? Did I have people come along side me and support me? Was there ever beautiful scenery, blue skies and flowers to be thankful for? Was there anything at all to be thankful for? Begin to praise God for the many years you had or are having with your loved ones? These are the things I praised God for over and over and it helped me so much. A thankful heart no matter your situation is like the shiny polish on the beautiful wood floors of a clean house. So, shine the floors of your mind by being thankful, your body and spirit will follow suit easily. A shiny floor reflects the sun and a “shiny clean mind can reflect the Son and illuminate His positive loving presence in your life for all to see and enjoy. When you can live in thankfulness, you will start to feel joy and have a grateful attitude. This is, if you allow it, (free choice remember) will make you want to live, I mean REALLY LIVE in your house (mind, body and spirit) once more.
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Personal reset step number four:
Make it a goal to live in hope and expectation. Maybe we won’t have world peace but we could have wonderful relationships and a closer walk with the Lord, while living in expectation of what He will be doing and working on, as we pray. We could also try to have higher expectations for ourselves and our abilities to do the Lord’s work. Pray for those abilities and for opportunities. Pray for doors to open for jobs or other needs. Then pray that the Lord will close doors where we should not go. We need to believe and trust that God knows all. We can trust Him and live in expectation. I believe He loves for us to do this because it creates a stronger faith in us and a deeper love for Him. Don’t forget to read the Bible, the word hope is listed over 100 times. Hope is an unshakable trust in God’s ability to fulfill His word and promises, that’s why we can live in expectation.
Psalm 25:5 NLT Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.
Hebrews 6:19 NLT This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
So, I have listed four reset steps. If we do not do a personal reset to clean our house (mind, body and spirit), it could be similar to moving into a new house and bringing all the trash, broken furniture and clutter with us. We would be tripping over the same old things we had months, even years earlier. It could make our new year harder than it needs to be. Note: We are not perfect so it may be that some old issues follow us into 2024. Nevertheless, when we let the Lord into the mix to help us reset ourselves and guide us, that is when we are able to find great success and joy. Humans were never meant to go it all alone.
Mark 7:15 NLT It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
So, I’m asking you to basically do a reboot on yourself like I’m going to do again. Reset your human God made computer by confessing-repenting, praying, seeking and being thankful. Change that bitter-apathetic-broken-hopeless heart into a thankful one, clean house and admire your shiny new floors for that will always reflect in your beautiful smile. Let the new year begin with great expectation and may your personal reset bring you inner peace and joy.
A personal note for those who lost a loved one this past year or so.
Grief takes as long as it takes. Just by doing the things I suggested won’t take away the pain of loss, but it will help. It helps because, we all have lived with regrets about what we did or did not do for our loved ones. Satan is wonderful at bringing on shame for disagreements and hurtful things we may have said as well. All this shame and regret IS NOT FROM GOD! It comes to destroy us and that is not what God or our loved ones would want. So, YES, (as I well know) this personal reset will help you a lot. At least you can feel better about yourself and your future while you still may need to shed tears of loss. As I wrote in my book, A Student of Life, in the chapter, A Life Altering Situation, “Grieving is one of our final expressions of love.” The more we love, the more it will hurt. What I know is that God has held me up and I can keep going while I shine my floors and put one foot in front of the other.
So, take heart my friend you are not alone in grief and not alone in spirit, God is always there, cry out and release the pain and frustration to Him and find people who care. Because of the love we had for our loved ones and because of the love of our Father in heaven, we can endure till the day our heart hurts less and our tears flow no more.
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Prayer
Lord, will you be our housekeeper? I know you never tire and never give up on us. We need your spirit to nudge us like a mother asking her child to clean their room. It really gets piled up if we never take the time to ask you to help us clean. Oh, Spirit of God, nudge us to forgive and let go of things, and nudge us to walk in expectation, hope and most of all thankfulness. As we move into another new year, show us things Lord, open our eyes to new and exciting challenges. Keep us safe and free from any kind of harm. May no weapon ever be formed against us. May we embrace your love and word like never before, growing closer to you every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I hope my blogs this past year have inspired and challenged you and brought you even closer to the Lord, for He is the one that loves you more than you can imagine. May you have a blessed and healthy Happy New Year
Love to all, Sally
A music blessing for you: My Redeemer Is Faithful & True, Steven Curtis Chapman
Thank you Sally! As always you have given us wonderful insight and I have to say, I greatly needed this today!!! God bless!!!