Start from zero
By Christopher Myers
The energy surrounding New Year is extraordinary: from celebrating a future of hope and dreamed for accomplishments or personal bests to letting go of poor habits or disastrous memories. What a blessing, really, that we all get this opportunity once a year! We think of resetting our passwords when prompted or just to be on the safe side and we occasionally turn from a bad habit and it actually sticks (usually because we didn’t really care for the habit in the first place).
I don’t think we often consider our Maker in all of this. He’s always pouring out love, protection, joy, discipline and the myriad opportunities for our growth, but to what end is He doing this? Is it so we can achieve our personal best in a field we excel or to make us the top earner in our department? Is it so that we can achieve a more disciplined spiritual walk in our daily lives? I ask this of every faith, because as humans, it seems we are pretty selfish and when we want to improve something, it’s rarely as a selfless goal.
Jesus didn’t ask anything of us other than to turn over our rags, fears, burdens and unsatisfying ways in exchange for allowing Him to love us and save us from ourselves. This offends some who say that we are the makers of our own destiny and that our mind is all powerful. It’s what we do with ourselves that makes all the difference in the world.
How we spend our time, decisions to bless others and to forego our own desires and needs. Not all are called to be martyrs or evangelists or prophets, but all are called to serve and to be available for His use and His service. Being available for His service—Jesus, Lord, Yahweh, Holy Spirit is to be yielded to His will. This is such a divine and yet simple concept. Jean Pierre de Caussade, whom I’ve quoted in the past, gave me a lesson this first week of January, which I believe is a sign post for 2016: “If we do not concentrate entirely on doing the will of God we shall find neither happiness nor holiness, no matter what pious practices we adopt, however excellent they may be. If you are not satisfied with what God chooses for you, what else can please you?”
God’s intention is to please us with his love and by accepting what he has for us we are able to please him. This is a loving relationship.
Christopher Myers is a designer/writer/forgiven sinner and has fellowshipped with believers around the world. Faith is his passion. Email him at c.myers@me.com