Since I was little, I’ve always loved reading. My mom encouraged this love by constantly motivating us to try new books. She often took us to the library and gave each of us a little notebook to record the books we had read. After a certain number of books, we’d get a stamp. I was, of course, very pleased with myself. I wanted as many stamps as possible.

 

As we grew older, the books became thicker. Sometimes, the first few pages were a bit dull, and Mom would encourage us to at least read the first five to ten pages before deciding whether to continue. By that point, we were usually hooked.

 

A new beginning usually sounds exciting, just like a new book. A new year with new resolutions, a new house, a new job, a new chapter – it can all feel like a fresh chapter and a new opportunity.

 

And it is.

 

But a new beginning isn’t always easy or enjoyable right from the start. Things can still feel bumpy.

 

That doesn’t mean we should give up. It doesn’t mean we should turn back or close the book. It doesn’t mean our new opportunity is wasted. New is still new, and when God gives us new opportunities or places us at the start of a new chapter, allowing us to continue as renewed people, we must remember that he is with us, no matter what that new beginning looks like.

 

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you often place us at the threshold of new beginnings. Thank you that we can move forward and that you walk the road with us – no matter how exciting, challenging or dull it may feel at first. Amen.