Have you ever wished you could just start over? I know I have. There have been times when I had to not only start over but start over again and again… and again. During those times I’ve always found comfort in the Bible verse that says, “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” (Proverbs 24:16). God is familiar with our weaknesses and, if we fall, He wants us to start again.
This isn’t just true in the Christian world, either. Success is often built upon past failures. Sir James Dyson, the British entrepreneur best known for inventing the bagless vacuum cleaner, knows a thing or two about starting again… and again. Over the course of 15 years, he went through an astounding 5,126 failed prototypes before successfully creating his best-selling vacuum cleaner. Today, he’s worth an estimated 9.2 billion dollars.
Abraham Lincoln, before becoming president, went to war as a captain and came home a private. Henry Ford went broke five times before successfully inventing the automobile. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. 27 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’ first book. And let’s not forget Thomas Edison, whose teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” After over 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at creating the light bulb, Edison remarked, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT
It’s a new year, a time when people reflect on the previous year’s accomplishments, failures, good times and bad. Across the nation we set new goals and make new commitments. This is a time for change. Perhaps you are looking for a new beginning — a fresh start in some area of your life. Success is rarely, if ever, an easy process. If it were easy, everybody would be successful. Whatever your goals are for the year, let God guide you. He has promised to walk beside you and help you through the good times and bad. Here are just a few promises to carry with you on your journey:
“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24
“Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” – Revelation 21:5
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” – Lamentations 3:22-24
“Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.” – Isaiah 58:12
God wants to do something new in you. He wants to give you a fresh start — a new beginning, not just yearly, but daily. Will you let Him?
MY PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your patience, mercy and love. I know that You are for me and not against me, and You have promised to help me live and feel whole. Today is a new beginning. Help me stay focused on You each and every day this year, for it is only in You that I find true and lasting strength. Amen.
