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 43:19  (NIV)

It’s time for some movie GIFs!

Billy Crystal’s friend, Norm, in the movie, City Slickers is having a bad time with his marriage and career. Crystal declares that it’s time for a ‘Do-over’! A whole different life!

In a scene from the movie, Forrest Gump, one of the ladies in the bar (one of Lieutenant Dan’s entourage) says to Forrest…”Don’t you just love New Year’s? You get to start all over. Everybody gets a second chance!”

It’s not New Years Eve anymore…but it’s still the beginning of a new year. All of us get to start over.  ALL OF US GET A ‘DO-OVER’. We don’t even need a new year to do that.

Isn’t that how we feel when life isn’t going as we expected? We can get depressed or frustrated. We can feel stuck. We can even give up!

That’s NOT how our heavenly Father wants us to react. He wants us to find (or create!) a new way of going forward. If we feel defeated from trying the same actions over and over again…perhaps it’s time to try something NEW! Maybe something totally different.

All it takes is a new mindset

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2  NIV

When searching for a new mindset, prayer is the best starting point. We all know how to petition, asking the Lord for things. We need to develop the skill of LISTENING in our prayer time. That means staying still and not speaking or thinking. Easier said than done! It takes practice to keep thoughts (bad or good) from coming. Don’t plan to hear anything immediately, but….

EXPECT to hear from God. Sometimes it’s just a ‘knowing’ in our heart. Sometimes we read something (i.e. the Bible? Something else?) that confirms our thinking or course of action.

It could be that someone else’s action leads us to what we should do. God doesn’t just speak through His word. Sometimes He will speak through other people or circumstances. Although it’s best to make sure our plan of action lines up with what the Bible says about it. Our job is to listen for that thought/idea that surely came from God. Then test it with what the Bible says on the subject.

My 2024 New Year resolution was to accept help and reach out more to others. My inability to move quickly and effortlessly often leaves me feeling an inconvenience for others…unless I’m teaching an exercise class. So once home from work, it’s easier to just stay put and not reach out to others. T.V., exercise, reading/writing and prayer time easily fill my evenings.

My son Andrew is currently living & working in Louisville. He practices his culinary skills at my home usually at least 3 times/week. That gives me wonderful company, an excellent meal and a trip to Kroger each time Andrew visits. Unlike many, I really enjoy going to the grocery. Shoppong is shopping! 

But that’s not prompting me to reach out to others more. It’s just making my life more satisfying. I know more than some that circumstances can change on a dime!

When we reach out to help or encourage others though…it seems to have ripple effects that others can remember us for.. It gives new meaning to our life…to those we are encouraging. Then we feel so satisfied, we want to do more! Could that be hearing from God?

It can be so simple! Try texting a different friend everyday to let them know you are thinking of them. No requests…just a ‘thinking of you’. Don’t we all love to get those messages? They require NOTHING!

Once we feel we’ve heard from God, then act on it! A new way of thinking about something is uncomfortable. It’s not what we’re used to. When we start to put that new mindset into action, it starts to become real for us. Then it will become second nature.

Getting a new beginning  will require us to try new things. Let’s be sure to inquire of God before we go running off in a new direction!

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13  (NIV)

Once we feel confident that God is in our corner, a do-over is possible for any of us!

Dear Lord,

You are the Father of NEW BEGINNINGS. Remind us to go to You first before we start any new adventure.

With You as our guide, help us to discover new ways of doing things that will make an impact on others and help us to DO-OVER any wrong mindsets that we have held onto.

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