What is next?

“[A psalm of David.] Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalm 103:1-2 NLT

Well, the Christmas season is gone, and next it is New Years. A time of setting goals and making resolutions.  Perhaps the precise moment in time to change a few bad habits in our lives like smoking or over-eating.  A chance for new beginnings to start in our lives.  Maybe we plan to marry someone this coming year, big things to plan there.  Or we want to get fit and healthy so we can live a little longer.  What if we looked at the coming year a bit differently than usual?  Why not take the focus off from us and place it onto someone else?  Hmmmm……some food for thought huh?

The last blog I wrote about the real meaning of Christmas had to do with hope and one of my readers commented with this simple thing:  Helping Ordinary People Everywhere = H.O.P.E.  What a brilliant idea for a resolution for 2012!  If I know God is taking care of my every need and He is in control, does that not open me up to help others?  If I am trusting God then I need not worry about me, I can focus on being of the Father’s business instead, just like Jesus.  What a novel idea!

In today’s society we are so wrapped up in worry we fail to see past it all.  We can never seem to get ahead and are always wondering where the next big corruption in our life is going to happen.  Well with the H.O.P.E. plan in place, whala, no more worry because we will have taken the focus off from our own circumstances and begin to see the needs of others around us.  I know, it will not be as easy as I seem to make it look, but we can pray on it.  We can ask God to show us how it can be accomplished.

So many things can be done with this new focus.  We can grow in our relationship not only with God but with the people will be interacting with along the way.  I am so excited to be going to Grand Rapids tomorrow with my fellow managers to visit a Ronald McDonald House.  We will be preparing dinner and visiting with the children and parents who are currently there.  What a joy it will be to just help out in this small way.  When we stop staring at ourselves in the mirror long enough to see that there are others hurting out there too, perhaps we can begin to make a difference.

I know when I was in the midst of my marriage I was very broken and as I have shared was stuck in a rut of depression that I couldn’t even see.  I thought I was the only one going through what I was and that no one could possibly have it as bad as I did.  Now that I am on the other side of the circumstance, I can clearly see I did not have it as bad as the battered wife or the ones living in complete poverty without a roof over their head.  I am grateful for what God did to change my life and now I am ready to help change some others around me.  I am excited for the completion of my book to be right around the corner for I know since it has been inspired by God, it will touch the lives of others who need to be pulled up and set upon safe ground.

So in conclusion, I am going to leave me behind and begin to look for opportunities to help those who need it.  I find myself not much of a servant style person even though I like helping others.  I will start looking for simple ways to brighten someones day, perhaps starting the greeting card company with my daughter will happen this year too.  I don’t really know where this will take me but I am ready for a journey with God.  I know He will lead me and send me down the right avenues if only I open myself up to be used by Him.  May your hearts be touched as well to maybe go outside the box a little this year and try to make a difference in the lives of those around you.  Be creative.  Share your ideas.  Just go and love His people!