No More Fatigue, Frustration and Fear in 2011

Happy New Year!  Can you believe that another year has already gone and a New Year is before us?  We all get a clean slate – a fresh start!  I love fresh starts!  It gives me hope.  It’s as if God says, “Hey, Carol. You get a ‘do-over!’” 

Many of you probably just opened a “new” 2011 calendar for the first time this week.  There is something about getting a “new” appointment calendar each year that makes me feel excited about the future.  The pages are blank – ready to be filled in.  A new calendar makes me wonder about the next year and the plans that God will have for me over the next 12 months. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”   --  Jeremiah 29:11-13

For many of us, we will set OUR plans and goals for the year and then consult God about them after we have them all set.  What would happen if you and I consulted God first -- before we make our plans?  As the sermon this weekend alluded to, we make plans and look for solutions to our problems rather than seeking God first.  The reality is God would be thrilled to be involved in our planning process for our lives! 

We don’t know what this New Year holds for any of us, but what we do know is that God has plans for each of us and those plans are better, more rewarding and more life-giving then we could ever imagine.  As was mentioned during the sermon this week, too many of us suffer from fatigue, frustration and fear because we choose to do everything on our own rather than seeking God and trusting God’s plans for our lives.  God doesn’t want us to be burned out, stressed, anxious and full of fear. 

The question that we need to all ask ourselves is this: In 2011, what are you seeking? 

Are you seeking to lose weight, to exercise more, to go to the gym more, to get healthy?  Maybe you are seeking a job or a relationship or more financial security in your life.  How about God?  Is He on your “list” of plans for the New Year?  

Here’s a song that talks about putting out trust in Christ alone for He is our hope for this New Year and for all eternity.   

Pax,

Pastor Carol