And apparently, I was very concerned. It was my first Christmas break from college, and my first real quality time spent in Memphis, Tennessee, where my family had relocated just prior to the start of my schooling. I had no friends in this city - and I'm honestly not quite sure how I ended up with this particular group of college age "kids" but I was at some one's house that I didn't personally know... avoiding the runny jello shots and trying to fake laugh at the crude humor in American Pie, which up until this point in my life I had managed to never see, and didn't care if the world ended that night because I wouldn't be sad to miss the end of the movie. The lights never went out, the TV never went black and I was left to fend for myself in an incredibly awkward situation. I sat in my recliner, pretending to sleep through the rest of the movie... wondering if there would be a shortage of water bottles and bread for those who didn't stock up on it.
The most popular question I've been asked in the past week has been, "So, are you ready for 2015?" I'm sure thousands of people thought they were ready for the new millennium and all the mayhem it was going to bring. And then there are New Year's resolutions... a preparation to change. Most likely temporarily. But over the years, no matter how much we think we are ready - events happen that prove we were no where close. April 19, 1995. September 11, 2001. August 23, 2005. April 27, 2011. April 15, 2013. In fact, every day of every month of every year holds significance for someone somewhere. A day they never saw coming... something they never expected.
So when I am asked if I feel ready for the new year, how can I even respond? I thought I had a great start to this year. If 2014 was a boxing ring, the first trouble I met knocked me flat on my back and the lousy ref never intervened and I just continued getting kicked while I was down. How could I have prepared myself for that? How could I have known it was going to be such a rough year?
Because Jesus told me so.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I think I have always viewed the new year through a rose colored lens. It's a new start... I can determine my fate if I make smart choices, stick to my goals and keep my head up. The thing is, the new year isn't really a new start at all. It's just a new page on the calendar like every other month of the year. My tears from December will roll into January... because time doesn't just stop at 11:59 on December 31 - allowing us to become completely new people with blank slates and new habits - and then start rolling again when the ball drops in Times Square. I heard U2's New Year's Day on the radio last night. Bono's words, "I will begin again..." kept turning around in my head. The truth is, we can "begin again" on any day of the year.
In my 2014 boxing ring, I wasn't just the unfortunate soul who got her butt handed to her. I was also the ref. Jesus told me I would have trouble, and instead of calling the cheap shots for what they were, I stood there and watched injustice play out before me without saying a word. In a very difficult yet invaluable teaching moment, I realized what God was trying to show me this year.
The apostle Paul, imprisoned and facing death, urged his fellow believers on with this letter, which was placed so timely in my line of sight, right when I needed to read it.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ~2 Timothy 4:1-8
Paul was a fighter. He raced to the finish line, never losing faith. He was prepared - in and out of season. He endured much hardship and STILL PRESSED ON. Oh, how I want to have faith like Paul's! He didn't try to control his fate nor did he just sit back and let life happen to him. No - he took Jesus' hand and together, with his Savior by his side - THEY happened to IT. Testimonies aren't powerful because things happen to us. They are powerful because we take the hand of our Savior and we fight the good fight. And we win.
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that God's mercies are new every morning... not just on January 1st. Instead of looking at 2015 as a whole, I want to take each day as it comes. I may not know what each day will bring, and some will be much harder than others. But I am done asking the question, "Why is this happening to me?" When something happens, I will be ready.
Synonyms for the word ready: accessible, adjusted, all set, all systems go, anticipating, apt, arranged, at beck and call, at fingertips, close to hand, completed, convenient, covered, equipped, expectant, fit, fixed for, handy, in line, in order, in place, in position, near, on call, open to, primed, qualified, ripe, set, waiting, wired.
I can't be physically ready for what is to come. But my Savior is. He is close to hand. He is complete. He is at my beck and call. He is accessible. He is equipped. He covers me. He is fit, near, set, waiting... and He is mine. And I am His. With His Word close to my heart, I know with confidence that I can do anything through Him who gives me strength. I know that with my God I can scale a wall. And if one of these days I fall, I know he will be there to pick me up, pray with me as we watch the sun set, and carry me... to the next day. Where I will begin again.
