Written by Tiffany Jacox, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister in Bellevue, NE
Well, here we are...2021! Are you leaping for joy and full of new hope or cautiously peering into the New Year? 2020 was full of turbulence, of that we can all agree. It is customary to take time at the end of a year to look back and reflect on what transpired throughout that year. I urge you, if you haven’t already, to take a few moments to do so. Take inventory of the things you witnessed, the things you experienced, your relationship with Jesus, the choices you made and ask yourself how those things changed you.
You see, we are shaped by thousands of little things each day. Little acts, small choices, big decisions, they all have consequences and our experiences help shape the person of whom we will become. If we rely on ourselves or on the voices of the world, we may not be refined the way we should be or would like to be. In your time of reflection over the past year, and preparation for the year ahead, remember who you should be talking to and from where we should seek advice.
We should be spending time in the Word of God and speaking to Him in prayer daily, asking Him for wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 (NIV) reminds us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” We will grow and change through our experiences and God will strengthen us through the trials. “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10, NASB).
We can look forward with joy and anticipation to this New Year with a new opportunity to be not only refined but redefined. God uses our experiences to refine us and we are redefined in Jesus. If you are a Christian you have already been made new. If you aren’t a Christian yet, don’t wait! Get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the new life only He can give. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17, KJV). The old has passed away and new things have come; we have been redefined!
As we make our New Years’ Resolutions or plans for the upcoming year, remember to keep God in the center of our planning. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (Ps. 37:5, AMP). We must not dwell on the past or things of this world, they are temporary. We need to keep our focus clear and straight ahead. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col 3:2, NKJV). Allow God to be at the center of all you do and He will guide the way, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps” (Prov. 16:9, NASB).
God has given us a sweet fellowship in Iron Rose Sister Ministries and a way to be refined, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17, NIV). No more looking behind, only looking ahead, together, as refined and redefined women of God!