It’s almost the new year! This is a time where many of us set goals for our lives. You may anticipate this to be the year where you finally achieve success (however you may define that word). Maybe this is the year where you finally get in shape, finally kick that bad habit, or finally learn how to enjoy life to the fullest. As seductive as it may be to idealize next year as a year of fulfillment, I have a better declaration for you for the new year.
Your new year is not about achieving a goal. You are not a factory with a quota to fill. It is not about changing yourself into someone better. The God who created you didn’t make a mistake. No, this is a year for two words.
The first word is Today, because the promises of God are not about some far off event. They are about right now. In the midst of the mundane and the exciting, the frustrating and the interesting, today is the day that God loves you. Today is the day that goodness and mercy pursue you (Psalm 23:6). Today is the day that God’s Spirit is pleased to dwell in you. Today is the day that you are his beloved child. Today is the day that He will not leave you or forsake you. God is not waiting for you in the future. He is habitating your today. Let Him find you here!
The second word is Growth. You are not a factory, and there is no quota. You are a tree, planted by the Lord. However hectic the life of farmers may be, the life of a tree is simple. Drink up the water from your roots. Enjoy the sun on your leaves. Grow. It’s not yours to figure out what sort of tree you are, or what direction you should grow in. God already built into you everything he intends you to be. If you grow slowly, enjoy it! If you grow rapidly, enjoy it! In this year you get to drink from the subterranean river of God, which your roots can taste no matter what storm or drought may mar the surface. Drink from his goodness in every season, and enjoy the days of sunshine too! Let his wisdom, his love, and his peace saturate your roots, spread through your branches and leaves, and produce fruit for the nourishment of others!
Let God find you and breathe life into your todays, and drink up his love. You will grow!
Stephen Fulton 