“Start HERE.”
Here we are at the threshold of a new year. Day one. The first space on the game board.
It’s a time to reflect and self-evaluate. “You are HERE.” But where is “HERE?” On THIS day, if you were to describe yourself using the statement, “I am _____” … what word would you choose?
- I am content.
- I am strong.
- I am confident.
- I am complete.
- I am determined.
- I am hopeful.
Do any of those words describe you? Perhaps not. Perhaps you are one who feels the opposite. Like you are free-falling—and not in a good way. It’s hard to know where you ARE when you’re caught in a swirling vortex of negative thoughts and wrong assumptions.
Perhaps you might be wanting to say:
- I am sad.
- I am hurting.
- I am lonely.
- I am weak.
- I am confused.
- I am tired.
- I am sick.
- I am lost.
- I am hopeless.
Does the list go on? That’s great. When we run out of words, we run smack into … TRUTH. We run into GOD. When we get to the end of our selfish, emotional “I ams”, we can then focus on reality. Where we REALLY are. Getting our eyes off what we FEEL—and rather on WHO is REAL. The REAL “I AM.”
We’ve just come through an emotional season. The holidays are often a roller coaster of sentimental feelings that leave some of us exhausted, depleted, and broke. There’s no better time to get REAL.
If we really think about it and look past ourselves, we can see God’s hand all through our last year. Every week—every yesterday—every yester-minute. The truth is, that God is continually manifesting Himself, and He is always GOOD.
Psalm 65:11 says, “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness …”
If God has “crowned the year” and crowns go on the head, what is the head of the year?
The “head” is the thought center—the heart, the memory, where the Holy Ghost in us resides. As we look back in gratitude over the past year, He crowns OUR thoughts, our memory, our worship with the reality and remembrance of HIS goodness.
“I see the evidence of Your goodness
All over my life—all over my life.
I see Your promises in fulfillment,
All over my life—all over my life.”
—Josh Baldwin
Our emotions are a gift from a loving God. We use them to either REACT or RESPOND to life’s circumstances and challenges, but they are not designed to guide or inform us as to what we SHOULD do. Feelings don’t reliably lead us to truth. However, when we focus on the REALITY of God’s goodness, it automatically dials down our unstable emotions and adjusts our response to TRUST in Him.
On the other hand, focusing on what we FEEL skews our spiritual compass—it makes us doubt what we KNOW. The cliché to just “follow your heart” is not always good advice—your “heart” is not a reliable compass. If we move forward, led only by what we feel, it may very well lead us astray. To accurately obtain our spiritual bearings, we must take our eyes off of our feelings, and refocus on TRUTH.
The TRUTH is THIS: that the LORD IS Who He says He is. He IS the GREAT “I AM.”
- When we say “I am sad,” He responds with “I AM … your JOY!”
- When we say “I am hurting,” He says, “I AM your relief.”
- When we say, “I am lonely,” he says “I AM your comfort.”
- When we say, “I am weak,” He says “I AM your strength.”
- When we say “I am confused,” He says, “I AM TRUTH.”
- When we say “I am lost,” He says, “I AM your light, your life, your WAY!”
Whatever I NEED, KNOW, and TRUST Jesus to be, THAT is exactly what He’ll BE to me. And so much more.
Look back over the past year—have you been overwhelmed by hard trials? Has tragedy stolen your joy? Have you suffered immeasurable loss? “Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.” (Psalm 77:9 KJV)
If so, you obviously share that outlook with Asaph, the psalmist. Though not as famous as David, there are 12 psalms attributed to this obscure singer, musician, and even prophet (seer)—Asaph. Perhaps he wrote the words of Psalm 77 to himself at the tail end of a very dark, difficult, lonely year.
But, read on, for Asaph also suggests a remedy! “And I said, This is my infirmity: (yes,) but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. (His GOODNESS!) I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. (His GOODNESS!) I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. (His GOODNESS!)”
This is not an exercise in futility. Neither is it an automatic response of our fickle, flighty emotions. It is a deliberate act of our surrendered, sanctified will.
Grab a pen and a piece of paper. Write down all the beautiful things that you’ve seen that God has done this past year. Testify of prayers He has answered, guidance He has given, wounds He has healed, lost things He has found. The Lord does not react by whim, impulse, or emotion—He acts deliberately. He has not said “I FEEL that I am”… but He’s declared in TRUTH, “I AM that I AM.”
And what does that mean for all the 365 days ahead? What will be His crowning glory throughout the new year? THIS: “The LORD is good; his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever.” (Psalm 100:5 GNT)
He does not change, but our realization of ALL HE IS grows daily. One year from now, we will once again say with even greater conviction and abundant evidence, “Thou crownest the year with thy GOODNESS …”
