A new year. Fresh hopes. New goals. Big dreams. Plans to live better.
So what happens when you're almost a full three weeks in and realize that the struggle has been a bit too real? Routines have not been established. Goals have not been pursued. Dreams are nowhere closer to being fulfilled than they were on December 31st. What happens when you have already grown weary of 2018 and are saddened that it doesn't seem to be shaping up to be any better than 2017? What if you're lost in a sea of grief that still makes you feel as though you're drowning? What if the habits you wished to get rid of followed you with ferocity when the clock struck midnight on January 1st? What if your child is still sick and there is no hope of a remedy? What if you are still battling cancer? What if you are now jobless? Newly separated? What if the hope you had just a few days ago has waned?
What then?
My daughter was crying the other day because someone had walked in the one part of our yard that still had freshly fallen snow. The rest of the snow in the yard had long been "messed" up with footprints and sled marks and remnants of snowball fights. This portion, though, she planned to keep "beautiful."
"Sweet girl, nothing lasts forever. That beautiful snow is going to melt. It will be gone in just a couple days. This snow that has footprints and a snowman and all these marks will melt away, too. What will make you most happy about this day when you remember it later? Will it be the snow that remained beautiful but that you never touched? Or will it be the snow that you played in and laughed in and enjoyed? The snow that made the memories is now not as pretty as the snow that you never walked in, but the memories will carry you through until the next snow fall."
I don't know if she really got it or not, but she stopped crying. In that moment, I understood this:
Fresh slates are refreshing for the soul and beautiful to look upon. They quickly get mucked up with all that comes with living. Some of the marks are harsh and sting much like a snowball to the face. Sometimes you feel like your life is spinning out of control as quickly as you can sled down an icy hill. There are those moments where you work hard toward your goals and build your legacy piece by piece - kind of like you make a snowman...and sometimes they fall apart much quicker than it took to built. Other times, there are laughter and joy-filled moments that echo in your soul like the children's laughter echoed through our neighborhood on this winter wonderland-filled day. There are bad moments and really bad moments. Good moments and really great moments. All these moments...all these marks on your slate tell a story of a life lived. So don't give up if your slate seems "messed" up. Don't think you need to wait for a new one. Keep making your marks. Dig in your heels when you start to slip. Continue to scrape off the areas that have hardened with time. Remember that what plagues you now will eventually not sting quite as much. Cherish the moments that are worth savoring. Learn from the moments that hurt. And look up. Look up to the One who holds the stars.
May the words of this Christian song ring true in your life in 2018:
Psalm 147:3-5
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
So what happens when you're almost a full three weeks in and realize that the struggle has been a bit too real? Routines have not been established. Goals have not been pursued. Dreams are nowhere closer to being fulfilled than they were on December 31st. What happens when you have already grown weary of 2018 and are saddened that it doesn't seem to be shaping up to be any better than 2017? What if you're lost in a sea of grief that still makes you feel as though you're drowning? What if the habits you wished to get rid of followed you with ferocity when the clock struck midnight on January 1st? What if your child is still sick and there is no hope of a remedy? What if you are still battling cancer? What if you are now jobless? Newly separated? What if the hope you had just a few days ago has waned?
What then?
My daughter was crying the other day because someone had walked in the one part of our yard that still had freshly fallen snow. The rest of the snow in the yard had long been "messed" up with footprints and sled marks and remnants of snowball fights. This portion, though, she planned to keep "beautiful."
"Sweet girl, nothing lasts forever. That beautiful snow is going to melt. It will be gone in just a couple days. This snow that has footprints and a snowman and all these marks will melt away, too. What will make you most happy about this day when you remember it later? Will it be the snow that remained beautiful but that you never touched? Or will it be the snow that you played in and laughed in and enjoyed? The snow that made the memories is now not as pretty as the snow that you never walked in, but the memories will carry you through until the next snow fall."
I don't know if she really got it or not, but she stopped crying. In that moment, I understood this:
Fresh slates are refreshing for the soul and beautiful to look upon. They quickly get mucked up with all that comes with living. Some of the marks are harsh and sting much like a snowball to the face. Sometimes you feel like your life is spinning out of control as quickly as you can sled down an icy hill. There are those moments where you work hard toward your goals and build your legacy piece by piece - kind of like you make a snowman...and sometimes they fall apart much quicker than it took to built. Other times, there are laughter and joy-filled moments that echo in your soul like the children's laughter echoed through our neighborhood on this winter wonderland-filled day. There are bad moments and really bad moments. Good moments and really great moments. All these moments...all these marks on your slate tell a story of a life lived. So don't give up if your slate seems "messed" up. Don't think you need to wait for a new one. Keep making your marks. Dig in your heels when you start to slip. Continue to scrape off the areas that have hardened with time. Remember that what plagues you now will eventually not sting quite as much. Cherish the moments that are worth savoring. Learn from the moments that hurt. And look up. Look up to the One who holds the stars.
May the words of this Christian song ring true in your life in 2018:
If You can hold the stars in place
You can hold my heart the same
Whenever I fall away
Whenever I start to break
So here I am, lifting up my heart
If You can calm the raging sea
You can calm the storm in me
You're never too far away
You never show up too late
So here I am, lifting up my heart
To the One who holds the stars
Psalm 147:3-5
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
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