Fresh Starts – We All Need Them
“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lam. 3:23 NLT)
January. A New Year. A fresh start. Resolutions.
Reading comments on Twitter and Facebook showed a variety of views on resolutions or goal-settings at the beginning of January. Some families sit down as a team and outline their goals for the year – almost as a business would. Others argue that New Year’s resolutions are a set-up for failure and therefore forgo the process altogether. Who’s got it right?
I suppose it’s a matter of personal style. But one thing is true…at one point or another in our lives, we all need a fresh start. No one is perfect. We all mess up. We all fail.
Reading stories about successful people, one common thread I’ve found is the determination not to dwell in failure. Instead, these people get up, seek forgiveness where necessary, dust themselves off and keeping moving forward. This forgetting-what-is-behind-and-pressing-toward-what-is-ahead attitude is essential for personal or spiritual growth.
A new beginning could be marked by a transition to a new school, new career, new town or just a new resolve right where you are. It could be January 1st…it could be in the middle of July.
Personally, I like setting a few specific goals at the beginning of the year and then mapping out how long it would take to reasonably achieve them. Sometimes it works, sometimes the targets are revised or scrapped altogether. I’ll never forget a sign my grade nine math teacher had on her desk. It read: If you aim at nothing you will hit it.
If you haven’t lived up to your best, don’t wallow in self-pity. Start fresh – even if January 1st has already passed! As Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) said, “Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.”
- Cherie
Yes – I need a fresh start! That’s part of why mornings are my favorite time of day. Thanks for this encouraging post, Cherie!
I like mornings for that same reason, too, Susie.
Choosing a word for the year has helped me focus on a goal. I’m very good at making resolutions….very poor at following through. But going deep into one word has been a blessing. And I love the reminder that a fresh start doesn’t necessarily mean January 1st. Thanks, Cherie.
I love the one word idea. I’m so glad we’re all doing one. It’s a simple idea with a profound impact.
Cherie, I LOVE the saying your teacher had on her desk! Enjoyed your post.
And you know, I sat there half a year trying to figure out what that meant! LOL!
It reminds me of a saying one of my teachers had – It’s better to aim at the moon and miss than aim at a cow pie and hit it.
Great post, Cherie and good reminder that we can start fresh each day.