January 2024
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What do surprises do to you?
I’m currently writing from a hospital room, as our family gatherings and experiences over the holidays inevitably turn into sharing germs, and Micah caught RSV somewhere along the line. I was able to take him in when I noticed his shortness of breath and lethargy (pay attention to your body, please!) and he is receiving the best care. But this is certainly a surprise! And not a fun one! Thank you for your prayers, I am certain he is already turning the corner. But I’m aware not all hospital visits take a positive turn.
More positive examples might be a surprise birthday party, engagement, job announcement, birth announcement, all invitations to recognize newness in life’s journey. I recently was able to meet up with some friends who were passing through the area, only to get to meet their 9 mo old baby - what a joyful surprise!! One of those best kept secrets.
Life is filled with surprises, some good, some bad, some in the middle that still need time to determine whether positive or negative. I appreciate this life we walk with God because God is ready with us in the midst of surprises. I don’t think he ever really gets surprised or caught off guard like so many of us do. Having a God who is WITH us in the midst of it all is a comfort and allows us to feel what we feel, seek companionship for the journey, trust in His provision and care, and take the next step forward. We don’t have to have the right answers or response to the surprises that find us, we can instead hold what we are given before God and say, ‘what’s next’? Following God’s guidance one step at a time.
Someone once pointed out that the popular verse “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105) doesn’t say - ‘Your word is a lighthouse showing me everything ahead of me for a mile around’. God is lighting the path before us one step at a time. Many of the passages we’ll be exploring as we start this new year engage this reality of surprises - challenging our expectations of what should or will happen, and welcoming God’s way in our lives. It is the path of our Christian lives to expect God to be present with us no matter the ups and downs that come to us in life. We turn to God for guidance, help, encouragement, and wisdom.
I don’t know if you have any traditions for saying goodbye to the previous year, and welcoming the new one, but here’s a practice I find helpful for paying attention to God amidst the surprises in life, and I feel is a helpful exercise to start a new year. It actually comes with celebrating Epiphany - the holiday traditionally celebrated Jan 6th marking the arrival of the Magi honoring the birth of Christ with their gifts. They followed a star which guided them to find the new king. The practice for Epiphany for us to try out is choosing a ‘Star Word’ - a word that God might give to us to guide us this year. Below is an activity page to help you choose a word if you’d like to try this out! Pray for God’s guidance in a word, feel free to cut out the star and keep it nearby - as a bookmark, on your bathroom mirror, wherever you might stumble upon it time and again. And may God guide you closer to Him this year as you discover His presence in it all!
Our newsletter (click the above image) includes a Star Word activity from Illustrated Ministry, which I hope is an aide to you as you consider what guiding words might lead you this year.
Some questions to aid your reflections and star word choice:
What is one lesson from this past year that you will carry with you in the new year?
What is something from the past year you wish to leave behind?
What is one thing you hope for this new year?
What is something you are diligently searching for?
What was your initial reaction/emotion when you chose your star word?
What might God be trying to reveal to you through your star word?
