New Year. A time long regarded as a fresh start, a new beginning, or a quiet reflection of things you want to change within yourself. This year, possibly more than any other year. Some may have just experienced the best year ever and look forward to an even greater one looming ahead.
Truthfully, this was really a great year for me and my wife as we started our ministry with Countryside, yet we all know of others who may have just trudged through one deep struggle after another. Turning the calendar page to 2021 brings a desperate hope for things to be better, with an ache for wounds to slowly begin their healing.
Whether you will remember 2020 as the greatest year of your life, or are incredibly glad to see this one finally over, there is one truth that still prevails through the ages. You are not alone. Not ever.
On the heels of the Christmas season, the name “Emmanuel” still rings in our ears, meaning “God with us”. As we enjoy the celebration of the birth of our King, that reminder has the power to carry us right into a fresh, new start. Though things and people around us shift and change, our God never changes. He is always with us and always loves us. As the year 2021 begins, let us look forward to sharing this all-consuming, all-encompassing, and all-forgiving love of Jesus in all we do. He is the God of HOPE!
May God bless you and keep you throughout this New Year!
In Christ,
Steve
Thanks, Steve, for being so encouraging. God is so good. When we experience His love and concern where He sets something up for us that we didn’t expect, He proves once again He can be trusted. Remembering to lean on and trust Him is what moves us from where we get bogged down to remembering who’s in charge. Onward!