Grace Parents

I love the tradition of New Year’s Day…one last chance to be together with friends, another excuse to eat good food, and time to find hopeful insights for the coming year. In 1752 the Puritans created the idea of “New Year’s Day celebration,” using it as a time reflect over the events of the past year.  Each year comes with its own excitement and disappointment, and it is good to step back for a minute and process the events that took place. Through our reflection we find the good that came out of hard situations, we see prayers answered, and we see how God’s hand took us through another year.  This year was extremely important for me as I looked back over a hard year.  I have never experienced this  much change in the span of a year that affected me as deeply as these changes have….Brian and Jessica leaving, moving into a new house, Ashley, Kathryn, and Waverly arriving, the loss of Anna Beth, the list goes on. I’m sure you have a list that is similar to mine and what is the thing we all have in common? Everything changes. Our world changes rapidly, our personal lives change, and suddenly we long for a resting place, a quiet solace. That is when I thought about a short sentence that echoes at the end of the Old Testament. In Malachi 3:6 is says, “I the Lord do not change.” Period. Those words washed over me as I read them New Year’s Day.  What a comfort to know that He who holds this all in balance is trustworthy and unchangeable. In this midst of our uncertainty, we know the promises and character of our Lord and that is the ONE thing that will never change. I challenge you to reflect back on your year and may you know God’s grace, mercy, peace, and everlasting love in 2009.