Wanda Bam

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.” Mark 13:8

I am sitting with an open Word document before me, waiting to commence typing, when my husband walks past and jokingly says, “That’s a good start.” That got me thinking. Is it not one of the nicest feelings when one opens the first page of a new diary and one realises that it is a new year, with new opportunities? A new beginning?

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Diaries are filled with activities far quicker than what we often can keep up with. We often complain about being too busy, but yet we ourselves make all the entries. We complain about “not so good” relationships with our families, but yet we belong to all the organizations possible and participate in all the available activities at church or at school, devouring our precious time. We are dissatisfied with our disastrous or uncontrolled personal finances, but yet we can admit that the new credit card is not a new beginning to an already burdened bank account. A new extra-marital affair is not a new beginning for a marriage of 20 years and a new house will not necessarily bring the sought-after joy not achieved in a previous, conflict-filled smaller house. An additional tertiary qualification will not replace the respect and high regard that might have been lost at the last office party. A new beginning certainly does not contain empty promises that offer disappointment to those little faces that greet you at the front door after a hard day’s work, when filled with bursts of anger and criticism.

But, maybe some are fortunate enough not to be afflicted with such bad beginnings.  Either way, we all need a God-filled new beginning at some stage. A good beginning is today, now, in this moment. God, His Word and I, this is my new beginning. God loves us despite the fact that He knows everything about us. He has never abandoned us, even though we may have felt alone. God requires us to lay bare our hearts before Him so that He alone can write the words of forgiveness and hope on our hearts.

Prayer:  Lord, here I am again. You know me. My good beginnings did not go well, but here I am with a new page.  Write what You know to be my best way forward.  Amen