What a New Year Brings

At least once a year most of us take the time to reflect on the past and look to the future.  We long to make something better than it was before, improve some area of personal discipline, or in the very least, make a small change in a particular area of life.

A new year brings change.

With change comes a barrage of mixed emotions.  Some crave change; some run from it.

Changes can be planned: choosing to eat more healthily, workout more often, organize your home, read more books, travel to a foreign land.

Changes can be unplanned:  the loss of a loved one, an illness, unemployment.

In both the planned and unplanned changes of life we have a God who never changes.

Over the Christmas season I reflected a lot on a character in the Bible who had an unplanned change in her life.

A young girl, probably 14 years old, visited by an angel, was told that she would be the mother of the long awaited Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God.

This was unexpected.  Yet, how did she respond?

"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." {Luke 1:38}.  And, then, she went on to glorify God for what He was going to do {Luke 1:46-55}.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, humbly accepted the change in her life.  Yes, what a privilege to be the mother of Jesus.  But, surely she also knew the prophecy concerning the Messiah that He would one day be despised, rejected, oppressed, crushed, and put to death {Isaiah 53}.

The road would be difficult at times for this mother.

She would face changes of all kinds, wonderful and hard.

And so, as this new year unfolds, I look to the past.

2012 brought a significant change in my life:  the birth of a son with Down Syndrome.  This was an unplanned change.

Yet, I have seen over and over the gracious love of God in the midst of this change.  I never thought I would survive the first months of his life.  And now, here we are, just about nine months later, and we're thriving!  God gives His grace each and every day to face the unknown.

2013 will bring another unplanned change in our lives:  the birth of another baby.

At the end of October we found out that we are expecting a surprise little blessing, due July 7.

I struggled with a lot of fear when we first found out this news.  Fear that I would not be able to handle a newborn, and a child with special needs.  Fear of telling the news to friends who struggle with infertility when I got pregnant preventing it.  Fear that somehow Mason would not get the attention and help he needed.  Fear that I'm not capable of handling four children under the age of 4.

As I looked at Mary's response to the unplanned change in her life, I learned to replace my fears with joy and thankfulness for what God had planned.

This new year will bring changes for each of us.  Some will be planned, some will be unplanned.  It is in our response that we have the opportunity to glorify God, as Mary did.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" {Proverbs 16:9}.  This is the verse that has been on my heart for the past two months as I've reflected on change.

We can make every plan we want for this new year; ultimately it is the Lord's will that is going to be accomplished.

May this new year bring for you great rejoicing in the unchanging character of our God who gives grace and strength to face any type of change that He chooses to give.