2019 … Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it? When I was little the year 2000 seemed like an imaginary time where we would all be driving around in hover crafts and have xray vision. Yet here we are almost 20 years past that. What?!?!

We don’t have hover crafts yet, but we do have electric cars. There is no xray vision yet, at least for the common man, but we can google anything and see all about it instantly. We can do just about anything with a little 2 1/2” x 6” smartphone that stays connected to us at all times. It even wakes us up in the morning. In our homes, we can tell Alexa to turn our lights on and off and play music and that is just the start. Who could’ve ever guessed?

A new year … a fresh slate … a mysterious voyage filled with obstacles, blessings, the unknown, and decisions. I don’t know about you, but the ends of my years have always looked a lot different than when I planned them back at the start of the year. As they say, “We plan and God laughs.” Proverbs 19:21 affirms, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

The Journey.

Life is like traveling down a river in a canoe. You think you know where you are going. You plan the trip. You put on your life jacket. You pack your boat. But truthfully, you don’t know what it looks like around that next bend. You have never been here before. There are forks in the river. There are sharp rocks and rapids and bad weather. There are snakes in the water. There are unexpected times when your boat gets turned over and you lose your supplies, and, heaven forbid, your cell phone and your compass too. The rapids cause you to bump your head on a rock. You fight and fight the rapids. Finally, you swim to the shore exhausted. You vow to never get back in the boat, but you have to.

Oh, but along the way, there are also peaceful glides and beautiful scenery and sunny days. These are the days you can put your paddles in the boat and rest. You can breathe the fresh air, feel the gentle breeze, and smell the fragrance of the mountain laurel lining the path of the river while you feel the sun bathe your face and your weary bones. There are wonderful fellow travelers that you meet along your journey. You help them, and they help you along the journey.

Life is GOOD …, but life is HARD. As we all well know, a simple phone call can change it all.

The Hope.

We plan for the sunny days. The stormy ones, not so much. How can we when we don’t know what is coming?

I don’t have the answers, but I have the ANSWER. I am so glad that, while I don’t know what the future holds, I know who holds the future. He is my Master and my Savior, Jesus Christ who watches over me and guides me. He is always there for me no matter what is around the bend. I don’t have room in this blogpost to tell you all the miracles He has performed on my journey. He has brought me through the impossible.

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” -Oswald Chambers

Take Action.

I hope you have this same assurance. As the old hymn goes, “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus”. Trust Him in 2019 and celebrate the journey.

“Being in Christ, it is safe to forget the past; it is possible to be sure of the future; it is possible to be diligent in the present.” -Alexander MacLaren

READY … SET … TRUST …

Dear Lord: You are the God of new beginnings and second chances. Thank You for a fresh new year, and for being the Lord over it. Please bless all those reading this blog with health and happiness for the new year. Amen

Is there a burden that You are carrying into the new year? Give it to the Lord today. You can trust Him with it. It will make your journey easier. Please share your comments, experiences and thoughts.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. May God bless You and Your family in 2019!! Make this your best year ever!!