This is what I am thinking …
It’s a new year!
Yes, I am thrilled to leave the old behind and embrace the new. However, life is a seamless continuation rather than neatly demarcated chapters. My life story is an ongoing journey, and starting a new chapter feels so fulfilling because of the experiences that have shaped me.
As I step into the new year, I am filled with hope and the promise of opportunities to grow into the best version of myself. Every lesson and blessing from the past enriches my path forward, adding vibrant colors to the new chapters of my life.
Welcome the new!
When God acts supernaturally and grants us a miracle,
He does it to draw us closer to Him.
This drawing closer is a lifelong process, not an event.
The miracle then is not what has been granted for the season,
but the change within us.
So when He grants our prayer,
Let us remember this is to beckon us closer,
A step to take among many more in our lifetime.
Reflections
I know why I am here.
That is why I am having fun, in spite of the hard work and the challenges.
God has given me the freedom to choose.Through my choices, He invites me to participate in the answer.
I wait to see what you say.
(Your actions confirm your words, loud and clear.)
Being still, in a state of peace, is not a passive stance.
It is being active,
vigilant, and
resolute
So this peace is guarded and maintained,
Through the ebbs and flows,
Highs and lows,
Of every day life.
How did Joseph and Daniel overcome great obstacles
(prison, slavery, rejection, isolation, treachery, lies, physical danger, captivity after war)?
Joseph and Daniel “walked” with God, breath by breath,
so that even when He was silent,
their faith and belief in Him could not be shaken.
Not the one-day kind of walk.
Not the hourly-kind of walk.
Breath by breath.
That’s amazing!
I discovered that the arrival of my second child
did not diminish (subtract from) the love that I had for the first one, nor did it mean I loved the new arrival any less.
Instead, my capacity to love increased
so I loved each child as much as if they were just The One.
In my limited way, I began to grasp how God loves me as an individual though there are billions of people around the world.
We have only 5 copies of Aristotle’s writings, with the oldest being a copy written 1,400 years after the original. In contrast, we have over 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament Bible, the oldest being written only 300 years after the original.
Add to these other documents by non-Christian historians and court officials that mention the man called “Chrestus” and his followers.
We accept Aristotle’s existence without a whimper. Why not Jesus Christ?
My fingerprint is not the only thing unique about me.
I am unique.
And so are you.
Don’t become a poor imitation of another.
If I only believe what I can see,
then the baby in a mother’s womb should not believe
there is life outside its comfortable place.
I will not take anything with me when I die, so I don't really 'own' things.
I am merely a steward of what I have.
Joyce Harkness 