As the New Year has started, I’m sure we are all working through Christmas, trying to stick to New Year’s resolutions, and decide what may or may not have worked for us in 2023.

And where does that usually bring us to?

CHANGE.  (Shudder!!) I think everyone shudders just a little bit with the thought of changing.

However…change can be good.  It can be exciting, it can be downright terrifying, it can be…a lot.  Sometimes, honestly, change is bad and difficult and wearying and…any number of “bad” adjectives.

But we don’t grow without change, as people or in our Christian walk.

My life has changed drastically in the past two and a half years.  Most days, it has been amazing.  Some days, it has been just downright rough.  (If you’re new to my writing, please don’t be surprised at anything that comes flying off my fingers – just a warning.  I will tell the truth about how I feel, both good and bad.  You’re welcome!) Honestly, there is something comforting about things being the same, even if there is lots of negative involved.

We have an idea of what to expect.  The comfort of the familiar. We can anticipate emotions, we can prepare.

Change takes that away – sometimes making you feel like the old tablecloth trick.  Remember that?  The magician (or maybe your cat or dog…or your toddler!) will grab the edge of the tablecloth, and the point is to yank that cloth away fast enough nothing gets pulled off or broken.  How often, do you think, that trick is successful unless you really are a professional magician?  Let’s go with…not often.

This year, what I am striving to do is EMBRACE change.  Look for the unknown.

Last year, I started studying faith in God’s word – and it is essential for the Christian walk.  “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, KJV) That sounds like faith is essential.  I could list pages of verses about faith. Here’s the big takeaway – we can’t be Christians without faith.  And with faith, there is a LOT of unknown.  Blindly taking a leap.  A step.

And let me tell you – in my world, faith and change have come hand in hand.

My encouragement for January?  Be less like me (no seriously, I mean this!!).  Don’t look at change as something negative.  Look for the amazing.  Look for God to work; look for the little things throughout the day where He has answered prayers; where you’ve drawn closer to Him through this “one baby step at a time” faith.  It is really, really hard sometimes – if you’re like me, you’ll be digging back through Scripture for reassurance (that’s a good thing!) that somehow it will be OK, even when it doesn’t feel that way.

Make a list every day of what He has done.  Make a list of verses that you can refer back to when your faith is shaky.  Write down when you have felt His presence and His peace.

I’ll be here, encouraging you to take that next step of faith – because I’ll be doing my best to take that next step for me as well!!  Those answers and results might not be in a minute or even days, but we serve a God who will be with you in the waiting.