Goodbye 12, Hello 13.

Couldn't resist the cliche Chorus Line reference in the title. Just couldn't resist it. How many MT majors have been waiting for years to use that one?

I went to bed last night (....this morning) and woke up today thinking about new beginnings. Fitting, I suppose, since it is officially a new year and the topic of the hour is "so what will you change in 2013?". Basically every social media site known to man is clogged with encouragement toward change, doing things over, and blank slates. It's as if we expect the past 365 days to melt away into a hazy memory. 

There is a condescending and cynical part of my mind that says "Okay, losers, you can't just erase the past. It's there. It always will be. Good luck fixing that mess." Quite possibly because I have been telling myself that for the past few weeks. Real talk: when your eyes fall from a focus on the eternal to a focus on the very, very temporary, everything seems a lot more difficult. And I have totally been living in that place for a while. Trying desperately to fix things I have no power over, striving to fill the gnawing hunger that exists in my heart (and, I think, exists in everyone's heart) with cotton candy and croissants. Y'all. No good. 

But then, this: The God that I trust in will all my heart, the One who created everything around us and keeps it all together with His own two hands, THAT guy, is all about new beginnings. Here's how i know. Once a year the earth dies and begins again. Every year. Every day, one tree rots away and six more sprout in the same place. Rain storms bring healing to dry and cracked fields that then are able to produce nourishment. Every 24 hours, dawn comes. A new day begins. DAT BIZNESS CRAY. If the earth is a tangible reminder of the character of God, then He is certainly a God of renewal.

So if God is constantly renewing and breathing life into the earth, how much more would He be willing to do the same for me? I think it's easy for us to fall into a rut and become entirely convinced that we can never change. That we are incapable of real growth. I know I have certainly felt that this past year. But in the wee hours of 2013, a tiny spark ignited. A new beginning is creeping up on the horizon, folks. For me for sure, and maybe for you as well. My heart yearns for new things. For growth, redemption, change and revelations. Not just in my life but in the lives of people I know dearly and don't know at all. The good news is, I know that that yearning can (and will) be set at rest by the One who sacrificed everything for the privilege of giving our souls new life. All He asks for is the invitation to begin.

Happy New Year.