TWENTY SIXTEEN

January always brings a series of questions…. What will this year bring? Will it be better than last year? What New Year’s resolution shall I try to do this year? But what is the question that we really should be asking?

Thinking back to last year, our son Caleb, was 16 months old and I was 7 months pregnant. Now Caleb is 2 years old and Judah is nearing his first birthday! A lot can happen in just twelve months, our circumstances can dramatically change. Life is busy and time seems to be flying by.  This year I want to make the most of every moment… How do I do that?

One of the best studies I have enjoyed this year has been Ann Voskamp’s ‘One thousand gifts’. Through it all Ann would say, “God is always good, and I’m always loved.” She explained how she learnt to live a life of thanksgiving, after experiencing a childhood tragedy to overcoming agoraphobia, and this way of life freed her from the crippling hold her illness had over her.  Through the study she showed how taking time to embrace each moment and be thankful would ultimately bring us joy. It is easy to say be thankful for what you’ve got, simple even… It’s hard to work to live it out in life. But one question we can answer is how should I live life this year? In Thessalonians 5 v 16-18 we’re told ‘Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’  This is a command… Be joyful, keep praying, be thankful…. This is God’s will…. God knows what is good for us in life.

Another verse has become important to me, Psalm 90v12 ‘So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.’ Let’s live this year thanking God for every breath, every moment with our loved ones and thanking God He is with us through the hard times. It is wisdom to know life is short so let us make this year count.

Tracy Elson