by Rebekah Robinson
I am a
weird little person who likes Mondays. And mornings. And Januaries … it’s like
opening a brand new journal with that fresh, clean page smiling at you, all
inviting.
God makes
us a powerful future promise in Revelation 21:3-5 ESV:
‘Behold, the dwelling place of
God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself
will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be
no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the
former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold,
I am making all things new.’
Speed the
day, Lord! A world with no hurt? Forever in Your presence? Bring it on.
In the
meantime … we have moments like New Year’s Day. We stop and consider how we
might improve our corner of this old world, or our performance within it. We
resolve to try harder, do better. Perhaps we even resolve to restfully trust in
the grace of our Lord more fully.
I have
goals for the year, and aspirations, but I am too old (and maybe too jaded) for
resolutions. Most of us have enough going on without piling more expectations
onto ourselves. A quiet continuance in the right direction is also to be
commended: to keep going with that book, to remain embedded in the Word, to
inch closer and closer to the heart of God, surrendering more fully every day
(even days that are not Mondays!).
Time is a
construct, and God is not particularly obligated to pay attention to the
numbers on our calendars. But being the gracious Person He is, He does often
play along. There’s no reason He can’t give us a boost on January 1st.
He’s not going to withhold blessing because ‘calendars are ridiculous.’ If a
date means something to us, chances are, it means something to Him. We are,
after all, immensely cherished!
We are
headed for the new world without pain, the world where God moves in with us.
Yet while we find ourselves still in this world, we have work to do, rest to
enjoy, people to love. Win the lost, be the family, build the Kingdom. This is
our window of opportunity, and as writers we squeeze meaning and metaphor out
of everything that passes by. What a privilege it is! What will He show us
next? His ingenuity is endless.
And so,
whether you’re making resolutions or not – be encouraged. Take motivation from
the clean slate of the newborn year, or simply Keep Calm & Carry On. Be
blessed in 2026 with Jesus’s presence, inspiration and power, and remember His declaration in Matthew 28:20
NIV:
‘And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
