With “New Beginnings,” invite God!
As students begin a new year at school, I have to just imagine what must be going through their minds.
The seniors are applauding as they begin this final year in public school, and many might already have college hours to start their next “New Beginnings”.
Then there are the new beginnings for those students who are taking their first steps into high school.
The anticipation of being ready, of being accepted, of making their grades, and just not letting teachers and parents down.
It doesn’t stop there. Think about it when you took your first step into first grade or kindergarten. You were in school and was no longer able to stay at home or at the babysitters. You were making a new start.
We tend to forget about our college and university students. Their new beginnings are daily and most of them would admit that.
I spoke with a young man who thought the best way to begin college is to start at a Junior College like South Plains College. He thought the classes might be smaller.
He commented that maybe the professors would be more kind and understanding than at the university. He felt that the ease of making his new beginning at a Junior College would be something he could handle.
I’m working with someone whose granddaughter decided to make her new beginning on the campus of Texas Tech.
She felt the excitement when she toured the campus. She felt the enthusiasm of being a part of a school like Texas Tech.
She also admitted that it didn’t hurt having family close by. You see, every student is facing this time of year, this season of new beginnings differently.
Think about the teachers and this new beginning. Some might be stepping into the classroom for the first time as an educator.
Others might be starting this new year knowing that it is their final year in this particular role.
The good news in the knowing is that each campus is family, and it allows the growth to continue along with the joy.
NEW BEGINNINGS is not just about our school system. It is not just for us to focus on our young people. Everyone, every day, has a new beginning.
It’s just how we approach this gift of newness and inviting God to walk with us that makes each day a success and a gift back to God. Let’s visit awhile!
In Matthew 11:28, God’s invitation to us is: “Come unto Me”.
This is an invitation for us to start each day with a newness in God. God invites us to start our days remembering His love for us.
God invites us to know Him and to celebrate His love for us. God speaks with a gentleness that the young child can understand as well as the oldest man.
God knows how to relate to us, His children. And then He tells us more. He tells us about His protection in each of our days.
When was the last time that you listened to that invitation and actually sat awhile?
I take joy in sitting with our Father God each morning to start our day together. There are times when I might not like what He tells me, but He has never led me the wrong direction.
God sits and listen to me and then waits while I digest the conversation we have.
He has never stopped listening to me. He has never stopped loving me. He has never stopped reminding me that HE will never leave me or forsake me.
Each day, He reminds me of the new beginning that each day brings.
God opens doors! God renews friendships! God IS the start of each day and each new beginning.
As the day begins, He reminds me, He reminds us, to stay armored up.
In Ephesians 6, God encourages us to be bold enough to start our days with His armor, His full and complete armor. The entire body is armed with the protection of God.
In scripture, God tells us to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of truth.
The scripture continues with the instructions to take up the shield of faith and also the helmet of salvation.
This scripture is used best here because our students understand being suited up for battle in their sports and competitions throughout the school year.
Each student has to have an understanding of the event they have chosen to take part in.
This belt of knowledge surrounds them and allows them to “stay in the game”. This game might include sports, choir, oneact play, poetry, art, yearbook, 4H or FFA, and any added events that came about since I was in school.
The point is that we all have to stay armed and ready when we pledge to be in the game.
What about the game of life? That’s where God has reminded us to be today.
We might all be thinking that life around the world, that life in our communities, that life in our homes is hard.
We’ve battled deaths and illnesses and we are trying to remain true to our walk with God. These things do not allow us to enjoy newness of life.
But with God walking our daily journeys with us, there is new hope, new joy, and new beginnings each day.
Again, our role is to listen to what God whispers to us, to stay armored up with His Words, His love, and His protection.
You might be wondering how did we move from our schools and new beginnings to “NEW BEGINNINGS” in our daily living?
The real question is how do we stay in the battle of life? How do we make it a priority of being fully armed for daily battle?
God is our answer! God does not wish for any of His children to be defeated because of the wrong choices.
God does not wait for us to be defeated from those wrong choices.
God is a God of love and He helps in directing our paths each day.
But He will not force Himself on us and in our walk with Him.
He will wait patiently and then promise to be there when we invite Him in.
But let’s take a look at the armor of God that we skimmed over.
We talked about the belt of truth, and that’s important.
We must always be truthful to God and to those God sends our way. The difficulty in that is everyone might not be ready to hear the truth about their actions and or about our own.
The truth might hurt but living out the truth brings us to a better place and a righteous place of living. That is what the breastplate of righteousness means.
God encourages us to be morally right in our living. No, I’m not pointing fingers right here.
We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all have, but didn’t Jesus take our sins to the cross?
And no, I’m not saying that we can continue to sin. We need to work at having a life with Christ.
We need to know what it means to live a life pleasing to God. Again, we need to begin our new life each day.
I love that we have the shield of faith with us always.
Now, I cannot tell you about your faith, and this article is not about your faith.
I am just confirming that as you grow in your walk with God, your shield becomes one that is not penetrable.
You will hear and feel the daggers of many, but God will supply the protection of you, His child.
And finally, we should have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes with the gospel of peace. This is one of my most fun piece of armor.
You see, God will allow you to go and be present in many situations.
It’s not a test, but He will use you to help others begin their new beginnings. This often shows up in the most unusual places.
For example, have you ever walked into a restaurant and had someone join you at your table and ask you about God? And so, the conversation begins!
Maybe you’ve been at a ballgame and someone remembered you from years ago from another lifestyle, and the conversation begins. And oh, by the way, you begin to share Jesus.
You see, God has a way of putting HIS children in those places that will help to enlarge His family.
God has a way of reminding us of His call on our life. God has a way or just putting us in the right place to share Him and His love with so many more people.
Unless we are armed and ready for the battles we face, we will begin to run from them and run from God.
Unless we slow down enough to have conversation with God, we just might miss out on our new beginnings.
Unless we are ready to face our battles and travel down the roads that God directs us, we will lose the joy of new beginnings.
I believe that God is simple saying that when we are armed with His Words, when we know and share His love, and when we are still enough to hear His commands for us and to us, we will be ready to share in the “NEW BEGINNINGS” outlined for our living.
This “living” might not be easy, but as we trust God and believe in HIM, we will have our new beginnings daily.
We started our time together speaking about our young people and what they might expect this year in school.
As you read these words, every public school in our communities will have had a new start, a new beginning.
Your child might have come home with a smile of enthusiasm or a tear of fear, but its been a beginning.
Educators on every level might have already sought out the best student and maybe that student who might struggle a bit. But they too have had the first day of their new beginning.
And for those of us whose life didn’t change this week, who got up doing the same thing and really expecting the same results might have missed the joy of a new beginning because we didn’t stop to listen to God. Did you? Have you?
Have you simply said, “God, thank You for the life You have given me. I want to do more for You. I want to be more for You. Give me ears to hear and a willing heart to carry out Your plans. Help me, help us all to look forward to our daily “NEW BEGINNINGS.”
As you sit where you are, listen for the invitation from God to come just as you are and enjoy the gift of “NEW BEGINNINGS.”
Remember your armor! Stand on your faith! Walk daily with the gospel of peace.
Just be you and allow God in and HE will pour into you your next steps for beginnings.