Friday Uplift, 1/2/2015

Posted on Posted in Friday Uplift

Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—  in peace because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever,  for in the Lord God  you have an everlasting rock. 

(Isaiah 26:3-4) 

Happy New Year! 
If your past two weeks have been anything like mine, it’s been hectic and busy and wonderful and crazy.  I’ve been eating and traveling and eating and traveling some more.  When things get this way, sometimes it’s tough to find my center, to come back to the foundation of me.

The holiday season can be a distracting and chaotic time of year, and I know a lot of people do resolutions and start new things when the next year begins.  

It’s a jump start of sorts.  
And usually after a month or so we kind of fall back into old patterns and old ways. So how helpful is it really?
Can we really trust that it is those things that will make the new year good?
Maybe, more important than starting new things and getting better, is just remembering who we are, and sticking with that.  
That stick-to-it-ness is sometimes called being steadfast.  
It means remaining true and unwavering.  
At this time of year a lot of things are telling me I need to look somewhere else to find peace. And I don’t really feel all that steadfast.   
But Isaiah reminds us:
“those of steadfast mind you keep in peace.”
And boy, I could really use a little peace right about now.  

That’s why these verses have been a good reminder to me at this beginning of a new year.  It’s a reminder that being true to myself, to who God has created me to be and staying resolutely firm in that is more important than any fad diet or exercise regime I might think I need to start.
I think this is what Isaiah means by “steadfast.”  Be who you are, and who you are is a child of God.  You can trust in that.   Remain steadfast in that truth.   And the result of being steadfast is having peace.  Peace.  Not peace because you lost weight or ate better, but peace because of trust.
You trust that being a child of God means that God has your back.
No matter what.

And sure,  if you want to diet or exercise or eat better, go for it… but all those things won’t bring you peace.  God will.
So start with being who you are.
And go from there.

Happy New Year, Child of God.
Peace be with you.