HAPPY FRESH BEGINNING

Leaving 2021 and Moving to a Fresh Start 2022

December 31, 2021 

2021 has been Great!!! – I see I got your attention with that statement. Rite!!! It has been an overwhelming, scary, happy, sad and often breathtaking year.  In many of the day to day events as we sit and think, GOD continually shows us who HE is!!!  As challenging as this year has been we have still been so very blessed.  There have been moments throughout 2021 when I have seriously struggled and wondered what is going on.  We’ve had the Original Catastrophe Covid-19, then we’ve had that Demonic Delta and now we’ve been given the challenge of Overzealous Omicron.  (I know you chuckled) Not only did we have to contend and maneuver our way through this monster, we’ve had to deal with our own personal challenges in our lives.  For me it’s been  having to manage my personal relationships, overcoming extreme loss in my immediate family and my loved ones in my church family, to my staying rooted and grounded in the Word in order to  maintain my spiritual relationship with GOD.  Yes, this has been a year!

So how can we recover from such an overwhelming year?  Well you ask a wonderful question.  I will share with you how I have tried to practice living through adversity.   Faith and prayer are a precursor for things to happen.  You must have those two, but like a fine braid one might place in their beautiful daughter’s hair you need three parts which adds work to that component. 

Chapter 2:14-26 in James it basically says – Faith without Works Is Dead – Let’s read it.

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without ^[a]your works, and I will show you my faith by ^[b]my works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is ^[c]dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made ^[d]perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was ^[e]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So Loves we have to put our Faith in GOD, Pray to HIM that HE will make it happen, but we also have to be working by doing what is expected of us for example – to teach, show love by mimicking JESUS by doing the acts of love that He practiced while here on earth.

I’d like to emphasize that we can all have a Fresh Beginning this New Year. Focusing on the past can leave room for doubts to linger, grow and question your confidence, which can leave one feeling defeated. Don’t allow self-doubt and negativity to sabotage your day, it’s important to leave yesterday’s events behind you, and look on today as a new opportunity to Begin again. A wise woman by the name of Judith Belmont said, “The past is a great place to visit, but you don’t want to live there!”

You can Start Fresh by doing your best and living your best for GOD. I’ve looked into some ways on how you can leave what happened yesterday, in the past and begin each day anew—regretting nothing!  Here’s a song to maybe get your heart motivated as we proceed!

Disclaimer:   I don’t own the rights to this music!!! But take a listen. 🙂

Now that I got your “spiritual juices flowing” with Tiffany’s Beautiful voice let’s:

Jump Start Your Start

Beginning your day Fresh doesn’t always begin on the day itself, it can start the night before. Starting with simple things, such as cleaning the kitchen before bed, can jump start your morning off without having to clean or put dishes away?  Maybe even preparing your clothes for the next day or even doing lunches instead of waiting until morning.  That’s just a few things to help Jump Start Your Day.

Assess Your Day

Perhaps you’ve had a difficult day, this would be a great opportunity (maybe during your down time), and just a few minutes to be able to reconcile everything that happened in your mind, so that you can close the day out, and leave it in the past. Try making a mental note to identify areas where you were at your best and pinpoint the areas where you would have chosen a different path. Questions to ask yourself – Did I handle that well, was there a way I wish I hand handled it differently?  Please don’t practice lecturing yourself on the things that you “think” you could have don’t differently or better.  The point of me sharing Assess Your Day is to simply learn from errors or mistakes in order to be better equipped to overcome challenges later on in the following day and ultimately your life.

Prepare a List of Things to Do

Being as prepared is one of the best gifts one can give themselves.  I am a list person. (You can ask my girls and my Val).   I love lists.  Start with what is a typical routine for you.  Then add the items of importance and finish off with something fun such as reading, doing a puzzle, knitting, watching some television or just sitting outside watching the sunset.  Make an effort to start your list each day.  This will help you rest easy knowing exactly what’s in store the next day (no surprises). However be flexible when it comes to your To Do List and leave room for changes and adjustments depending on unexpected circumstances. Having this list is very valuable that it allows you to jot down the most important things that need to get done, helping to ensure they’re not forgotten or pushed aside.  Writing things down will also save you from having to use up valuable brain space trying to keep remembering everything.  Expecting that to stay in your head is mind-bogging.  Just make sure your list is doable and not overwhelming. Remember the point of a to-do list is not to frustrate you, but to help, so write down the items down from most important to least to help your day go more smoothly.

I want to be here as your little cheerleader, because we all are in need of a little cheering section and today it can come in the form of me, but you can also  tell yourself its ok if you make a mistake and you can begin again.  You are AWESOME!!! 

According to

Genesis 1:31a. ³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made…  We are human, and make mistakes, but Our GOD was happy with what he made.  YOU!!!  You are great!!! GOD’s ultimate goal of renewal is to become perfectly united with You, as things were in the Garden of Eden.  Here are some verses that can help in the focus on a Fresh Beginning. 

LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. “Though we may face difficult times, God renews his grace in every situation we face.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! You are new in Christ, even today.

These Bible verses about a new beginning reveal that every moment brings a fresh start. God has made and is making all things new–this includes YOU – My Sweet Christian Sister are new and make every day a Fresh Beginning.

Last, I want you to;

Get off to Your Best Fresh Start

As Our Title Says Happy Fresh Beginning it’s important to do everything that you can do get yourself off to the best possible start.  GOD is the only one who can turn your life around and make it different as long as You remain faithful to HIM. 

Remember what I said about routines earlier – have one that works for you.  Intentional prayer time, Bible Study, then maybe breakfast, walk or jog – preparing your mind for the day.  You may need to try a few different routines to see what works best for you. You will get though that.  You can be empowered and ready to start a Fresh Beginning Today – and a Fresh year 2022.  You can do it and be an influence on others to know JESUS and know that they too can start a Fresh Beginning and remember

Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”.

So, Beginning today if you didn’t know – remember christiangirlschat is here to Encourage, Uplift and Inspire you this Happy Fresh Beginning New Year 2022. 

Love,

christiangirlschat