11 January – Esmé Kelly, Petersfield and Liss United Reformed Church

New beginnings

The New Year always reminds me of new beginnings or a fresh start. Do you do New Years resolutions? If so, do you accomplished each resolution by the end of the year or do you give up half way through the year?

Are you hard on yourself when you didn’t accomplish all that you planned to do that year?

I’m grateful for new beginnings because it speaks of a fresh start or a new start. Depending on what came before, a fresh, new start might be just what we need. The year 2023 seems to have been filled with so much sad news – new wars breaking out, other wars continuing, people living in fear of what tomorrow holds for them, due to the high cost of living. Maybe, some of us might have had a disappointing year or 2023 might just not have been a good year.

I take comfort in the Word of God, the Bible, where it says in Lamentations chapter 3 verses 22 to 23, because of His (God’s) great love for us, we are not consumed, whatever comes our way, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Every morning we can have a fresh start, no matter what came before, because His mercies never end. Great is His faithfulness.

Have a Happy, Blessed 2024!