SPECIAL FROM THE EDGES – Dealing with New Beginnings

Prepared through guidance of the Holy Spirit by Pastor Calvin Cook

SPECIAL FROM THE EDGES – Dealing with New Beginnings

Prepared through guidance of the Holy Spirit by Pastor Calvin Cook

August 24, 2024

You can call it start overs, begin again, or new beginnings. It is a place we all come to sometimes more than we like. Sometimes it is others new beginnings that are affecting us and causing our normal to be changed. We want to see others experience new things as long as it does not have to much of an effect on what we have become use to.

The scripture from Lamentations 3 : 22-23 has always been very significant to me – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness”. But this morning verse 24 became very significant – “I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.”

These new beginnings are hard. Especially when it does change what we have become so accustomed to, what we have come to experience as stable or normal. This past season has been especially difficult as I have watched people forced into new beginnings because of loss of a loved one, loss of a relationship, a job, financial stability and so many other factors that move us to do one of two things either lament, cry, and flounder in self-pity or move on to the new beginning that we are desiring or forced to accept as a new normal. I confess I to am experiencing the need for new beginnings in a variety of ways: in relationships, church, business, and self-changes that need made. This I believe is why Lamentations 3:24 becomes so significant. The Lord must and will become our portion as we step into line to receive the new beginning that God wants to bring into our life, we must be willing to receive the new thing that springs forth from God that God wants to do, (Isaiah 43:19) we must be willing to receive!

I am in no way saying leave the good, move away from those things which have been good. Allow nature to teach us, we must adjust with the seasons. I mean we don’t wear the same clothes in the middle of January that we do in the middle of July. We change and adjust to the season. When things are good do we prepare for better or to do we become so accustomed to our normal that we loose sight of these changing seasons. In going back to seasons – in January I have faith that July will come again, however in July, I don’t think much about January- just saying.  Always, always we must embrace the good and know that more is on the way if we realize those words from Lamentations 3:24 allowing “the Lord to be our portion”. 

One final thought is this – God does have a plan for you (Romans 8:28) so take the steps necessary through the practice of the “means of Grace” or “Spiritual Disciplines” or whatever your tradition calls it and follow the plans that God has made for your life.  New Beginnings will require change, just as the early followers of Jesus h toad make significant changes in their everyday life. We will need to do the same – “Trust in God with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 &6)