“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).
Christmas and New Years are typically a time of reflecting on all the events of the previous year. It’s amazing to see how fast twelve months can pass and all the experiences that have shaped our lives. With all the talk these days of “the lost decade” we are enduring--lost wages, vanished 401Ks, and lack of economic growth, my mind can get clouded with the challenges of daily life. My annual recollections of the past recently took me further back in time—ten years to be exact. I did lose something. It was my old life that died the day I began my new life in Christ.
It was Thanksgiving week of 2000 when God’s pursuing love finally gripped my seeking heart and made its permanent residence in me. Jesus restored my damaged relationship with the Father. Consequently, my life has never been the same. I am continuing to learn how to live for a cause greater than myself; to live the life Jesus planned for me that is better than any vision I can conjure up. This does not mean my journey does not include disappointments, heartache and tough times. It does mean I do not walk alone. Praise God for His Holy Spirit who is forever my Guide and Helper!
If I choose to measure my life solely in terms of how much money I earn, I would be counted among those in the newly coined phrase “the lost decade”. Like so many people my corporate career is under attack, and so is my pay check. My wages have slipped to a level I made twelve years earlier, and my 401K hasn’t made much progress. But the Lord provided me with a husband eight years ago and together we are weathering life’s storms with our Creator. I often wonder where the world is headed not just from an economic standpoint, but from a spiritual one. Evidence of love is so hard to find in mankind.
This December I am settling in with Jesus and asking Him to help me listen more than I speak. I want to hear His voice above all others, and there are so many distractions right now. My hopes for the New Year certainly contain peace, prosperity and joy, but sometimes things have to fall apart before they can be repaired. This is how it was in my life and, perhaps, that is what is happening in our world today. We are sick, we need restoration, but we’re seeking it in our government and our employers instead of in Christ.
Christmas is the beginning of God’s restoration plan for all of us sinners. It began with the birth of His Son in a manger over 2000 years ago and was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead. Invite Jesus to live in your heart and surrender your life to Him. True healing and contentment begins there. Only when we receive His love can we extend it to others. What a lovely outreach that would be to other hurting citizens.
Wouldn’t it be nice if no one was part of the lost generation anymore but all were forgiven of our sins and restored? Praying you will accept the free gift of salvation that cost Jesus His life because of His great love for you. Merry Christmas and a Restored New Year! “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).
Your fellow sojourner,
Mary
