Turning the Page

There really is nothing like a good book or story. There’s something captivating about them. They draw us in. Especially as we reach the climax of each character. There’s a movement in the life of each main character. They become relatable to us. We feel with them. We grow with them. We can even find ourselves defending the characters when we’re really invested. A good story or book could transport us from our everyday lives to places we never dreamed of. But what if our lives were just as captivating a story? A story where we have our own arc. Where we grow, struggle, and are heading to the climax. Not many of us think of our lives in terms of a storyline. But what if it was. With the end of the year here, it’s as if one chapter of our lives is ending and the new chapter begins tomorrow. New adventures. Fresh hopes and dreams. 

But what if we go into this new chapter carrying the baggage of the previous one and all that happened? Like any storyline, we’d find ourselves stuck in this loop. A character in a constant cycle that repeats itself over and over. Too often we treat our lives like that. The same struggles haunt us. We carry the same grief and pain. At times, we just try to survive our current situation. However, this shouldn’t be the way. The promises of God that have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ still remain today. 

When the people of Israel faced exile, the prophet Isaiah brought them a vision and declaration of God. Yahweh declared to them to forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). It was a hard truth for them to hear. I mean how can we not dwell on the past? But the reality is, God is making this declaration to Israel because He was writing a better ending for His people and if they spent too much time on the past, they would miss all that He had in store for them in the future. God’s promise through Isaiah still stands for each believer today. God is still making a way through the wilderness for each of us. This past year may have been tough. The story may have been a tough one to get through. But a new chapter is about to begin. God is still writing your story. Your arc is not yet complete. He is still doing new things. He made a way for us through Jesus. And we can trust Him with the rest of the story, if we decide to give him the pen.

I pray that you find hope and peace in this coming year. The author of our salvation is still at work. Don’t dwell on what has been. As we turn the calendar, He is doing a new thing with fresh possibilities. May the prayer of your heart this year be that wherever you lead me, I know you won’t leave me. Wherever you call me, You will make a way. Wherever we’re going, I will be holding. To the promise you have made. You will make a way (I Am They, Make a Way).