Well that is certainly a silly title for a blog during a worldwide pandemic.   It might be hard to imagine a “new” beginning during our “new normal” that we find ourselves in.  Perhaps we are trying hard to hold on to the way things used to be, because back then things were relatively safe and predictable.  We didn’t have to keep up with the ever-changing tide of rules, restrictions, and phases.  

So…why am I writing about new beginnings when everything around us seems new; remote learning, hybrid learning, live streaming church services, masks in Walmart, and Clorox wipes having the same value as gold.  All of those things might be new to us, but they aren’t the things we should be focusing on(because honestly they can make us bananas).  Instead let’s try to flip the script on what we are facing.  Let’s try to reimagine, if you will, how we shape the rest of the narrative of 2020.

So far 2020 has been one of hope, then fear, then anger, then dread, followed by boredom, which brought in racism, and riots, and political divide, and will lead to who knows where.  But if instead we reframed how we are thinking about all of these changes we might be able to see new beginnings and new opportunities right in front of us.

Just this week we celebrated a new beginning with our niece.  After some prayer she is going to be heading down to Louisville, Kentucky to study with Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, for three months.  After that she will raise funds to go on a two-month mission trip to share the message of Jesus Christ with those who need to hear it!  

New beginnings might not look like leaving your home for five months to study the Bible and prepare to share it with others.  Perhaps your new beginning is enjoying the extra time you have with your family when you are working from home.  Perhaps your new beginning is finally practicing that instrument that is having on your wall or sitting in the corner.  Perhaps it is writing the first line of the book you’ve been meaning to write.  Perhaps it is intentionally loving the person who looks, votes, and worships differently than you…

2020 has given us all a chance to improve, slow down, rest, and reframe how we look at work, family time, and our faith in Jesus Christ…as long as we choose to look at it that way.  We all have a choice in this time: a choice to see all the bad things happening and missed moments, or we can see all the new possibilities and opportunities because of the change.  

So, this week may you reframe your mindset about 2020.  May you see the hope of Jesus all around you, and may you seize the new beginnings waiting just around the corner.

What is one new beginning you can do today?

How can you reframe your mindset about 2020?

How can you help others find the hope of Jesus in this season?