Holidays were a lot the last couple months. COVID both simplified and complicated things. Family was simpler yet more complicated. Schedules were simpler yet more complicated. It all took flexibility. And I thought many times how I was thankful to be able to be flexible around the things that were going on in my life as opposed to the flexibility required by so many who were struggling and grieving, hurting, and doubting.
Now we’re in a new year. Guess what? It will be a lot. It will be simple and complicated—with our families, schedules, and more. We will face opportunities to be flexible and grateful. We can choose bitterness and resistance. I’m not suggesting those choices come easily or purely. Choosing well doesn’t mean everything goes our way. Choosing poorly doesn’t insure misery. But rest assured, our choices will impact us and the people around us.
Let’s not simply survive. Let’s move through the choices with grace and humility. Let’s honor and love others. Let’s extend compassion. Let’s be humble enough to ask for forgiveness and gracious enough to extend it. Let’s establish healthy boundaries for ourselves and others. Let’s cease to justify ourselves and instead determine to change what needs to be changed. Let’s listen to others better. Let’s love each other better. Let’s neither give up in the quagmire of the complicated things nor savor and steep too long in the simple things. Let’s appreciate the mix of it all. Let’s ride the ebb and flow and keep in the context of God’s beauty and healing.
There are a lot of ashes of our past and present. There will be ashes in our future. But there will also be beauty if we trust God in our today’s and let him prepare us for our tomorrows.
Pure Purpose 