As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. – 1 John 2:24
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
Advent is an invitation for each of us to begin again. What will we be starting again? On what do we need to have a re-do ? We begin our Christian year with Advent, which symbolizes the expectant waiting of the nativity of Christ at Christmas and also the return of Christ at the second coming of Christ. We are celebrating love, hope, joy, and peace.
Most of us have had a tremendous number of new beginnings. When we are born we are mostly helpless beings who depend on the goodness of our parents to feed and clothe and take care of our needs. We had a new beginning when we no longer got Mother’s milk but started eating solid food. Another new beginning in our world was when we started being able to move around and explore our surroundings. After a while our world got bigger when we started walking and running. There was a new beginning when we had to go to daycare or to school. For some this was a traumatic beginning and for others it was a delightful exercise in being independent.
As adults we had the beginning of a new marriage and having to live with someone who was not like our previous family members. We had to learn to combine traditions for holidays and find our new traditions. Do we celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24 or Dec. 25 or is it that the only time we can really have a Christmas celebration is on Thanksgiving Day when everyone can come? We had to learn that our own parents were not going to bail us out anymore when we used up all of our money. We had to make our money last and learn not to spend what we did not have. If we had not done so previously, we had to have the new beginning of being an adult. Adulting is hard!!
Then another new beginning was when we found that sleep was indeed a precious commodity when we had that baby who did not know daylight from dark and had to be taken care of 24 hours a day. While the baby was having new beginnings, we were learning that things had to be planned, and baby sitters were not available on a moment’s notice. No more last-minute trips to the movies or the beach.
As the years passed we had new beginnings when that baby started to school, graduated from school, and went away to join the military or go to college for more new beginnings. By now some of us were beginning to think about retiring from a lifetime of working outside the home. What am I going to do all day long? I have always worked.
Then comes the beginning of becoming a caregiver for an aging parent or a child who has returned home with disabilities. I do not know how to take care of anyone. I am not trained for any of this. How can I begin again?
By now we might think that there can be no new beginnings because we have experienced them all. Then comes the new beginning of looking forward to seeing your mate again in heaven. This beginning can be a truly awful experience or it can be so joyful because your mate is with God and is no longer in pain.
How many beginnings have we had in our lives? In reality each new day is a beginning. We can put away our past and know that our sins are forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. God is the King of second chances and new beginnings if we accept that gift that was given so long ago. There is no limit to new beginnings and as long as we live with the faith that we have heard from the beginning and know that each new day is a gift of a new beginning, we will have many new adventures with the Lord who made each day new. Great is HIS Faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endures.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
As He has been, He forever wilt be.
Excerpts from Great is Thy Faithfulness
Hymn by Thomas O. Chisolm
Lord help me to look at each new beginning with hope, and give me peace in each new adventure with you. AMEN
Daphne G. Grady