God is so good to us! We are constantly getting fresh starts. We typically think of fresh starts at the beginning of each year. But we get way more than just one a year.
We get a fresh start every month. If you are paid monthly you’re thankful for the new beginning. You may have messed up with your budget last month, but you get another chance to get it right this month.
We get a fresh start every week. Maybe you didn’t manage your time according to your priorities, but you get another opportunity this week to live according to your values.
We get a fresh start every morning. Yesterday may have been a rough day, maybe you didn’t close the deal, get the client, or you got in an argument with a friend. Today is a brand new day full of possibilities.
Some people seem to think you have to wait until January to make changes and set goals, but you don’t have to wait that long. God has built lots of fresh starts into the rhythm of life. We just have to grab one and start.
The good news is that even if you made terrible choices yesterday, God has a brand new pile of mercies for you today. You will never reach your lifetime allotment of God’s mercies.
Even when we face the consequences of poor decisions God still gives us mercy to get through them.
Samuel Chand says, “Failure is only a catastrophe if we choose to see it as a catastrophe.”
We can learn from our mistakes and make better choices next time. Failure is never final. Failure is never fatal. It’s only final and fatal if you view it that way.
Maybe you’ve already blown your New Year’s Resolution…so what! Get back up and try again!
Did you catch what the author was saying? One of the characteristics of people who follow God is they get back up again. We don’t stay down. Sometimes we get down because people push us down. Other times we’re down because we tripped ourselves up, but no matter the reason…we get back up and keep going. It’s a hallmark of godly people.
It’s also an evidence of your faith. The world watches to see how you handle failures and setbacks. One of your greatest opportunities to demonstrate your faith is when things don’t go as planned. You model faith in the promises of God. You aren’t just quoting nice platitudes you are actually planting your flag on the truth that God takes all things and works them together for good.
If you stay down what does that say about your faith? What does it say about your God?
You are going to face lots of challenges this year, but you can’t afford to be one of them.
Don’t be your own wet blanket.
Get back up again and keep moving forward.
Whether you choose to stay down or get back up doesn’t just affect you. It also affects those who love you and look up to you in ways you can’t begin to imagine.
Model for them how godly people get back up and try again.
It’s really an art form because an art form is something you learn after repeated practice. In life, you will have plenty of opportunities to practice the art of getting back up again. Artists take something that’s difficult and make it look easy.
I would love to tell you this art form gets easier with practice, but I’m not so sure it does. The higher you climb the falls can be bigger and harder, but so is your faith. The same big faith that caused you to step out in the first place is the same faith that will help you get back up.
Don’t let your pride keep you from trying again. Remember people are watching how you handle setbacks more than how you handle success. Show them what godly people do by getting back up.
