New beginnings……

New beginnings don’t only happen at the beginning of the year or the beginning of the term. New beginnings can occur anytime. What new beginning are you experiencing right now? New school, new college? New job, or even a new baby? As a nation, we are all facing a new beginning. The sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II began the new start for King Charles III’s reign and Liz Truss’ new role as Britain’s next prime minister, just as the country faced a cost-of-living crisis, industrial unrest, and a recession.

New beginnings can be difficult for so many reasons. Often, we are focussed on the fear of the unknown, which can be challenging because we create the fear itself. I have often been tempted to play God and depend on myself as the landscape changes. Fight my own battles or resign to my fate. But God tells us otherwise. He wants us to accept that change and uncertainty happen, and His timings may not be ours, but He is working and making us new, bringing us a fresh perspective, new experiences, growth, and learning. You see, change can be good.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV says – “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”.

If we want to grow into an ever-increasingly closer walk with Him, we’ll have to allow God to lead us to places we’ve never been before; He is already at work whether we see it or not. There is a wilderness, but God is building a path. God loves doing new things; God loves showing us new places. God loves using new methods.

I pray that you always look at your new beginning positively, face your fears knowing that God will never leave you and don’t let your mind hold you captive. Jesus died for your freedom.

Let us all pray together a prayer by St. Teresa of Avila 

“May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith”.

Amen

Written by Kirsten Davidson, Fundraiser for Swindon Youth for Christ