January: New Calendar. New Me.
At the beginning of every year, there are garbage cans full of calendars with crossed out days gone by. New calendars, with new days, and old holidays occupy the familiar place on the wall. With the hanging of a new calendar comes the reminder - substantial change is possible. New, unexplored days lie ahead bringing with them the opportunity to chase new dreams, relive old memories, and finally take that trip we’ve been putting off. This year will be the year of the here and now, no more “we’ll do it next year”, because it’s never quite next year.
While Scripture certainly doesn’t encourage reckless impulsivity; it does allude to living a life which is rooted in the present. Jesus reminds us, whatever the past might be, we serve a God who provides provisions to us, exactly as we need them. As the Gospel of Matthew so eloquently reminds us:
Matt. 6:25-24
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky:They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
It's natural to plan for tomorrow. But the reality is, we can only handle what we are facing today. We can make assumptions about what we will have tomorrow, based on what we have today; yet, we are never guaranteed the same things tomorrow that we have today. It can be a bit of a maddening cycle, further highlighting the importance of surrendering it to God. What is it? Everything we strive to carry on our own. Every stress which occupies our minds. Every “good” day. Every “bad” day.
As many of us begin to set goals for the year, everything from our health to our vocation is a candidate. In setting our intentions it’s important to remember that only so much is within our control. Even after all the planning, things will inevitably arise which derail our trajectory, forcing us to pivot. But, assuredly as the God who “clothes the wild grass” is still on the throne, so we can find solace within the immutable truth: he will clothe us even more. As the new calendar year rolls around, much will stay the same. Although, if we find ourselves tired and weary. There is opportunity for rest. There is a chance to begin again, completely new. Give yourself achievable goals; something at the end of the year, you can definitively say, “I did this!” If you don’t hit it, ask yourself “why?” Look for the truth but go easy on yourself. Before doing anything else, let’s set our course for pursuit of the heavenly Kingdom. Once we know which direction to take - everything else will fall into place. Worry not, for worry adds not a moment more to our lives.
Peace to you,
Rev. Taylor Kibler
