Life Project Blog

With Christmas past and the new year looming, all of us have the opportunity to make a new start.  Most of us have areas of our lives that we aren’t entirely satisfied with, why keep doing the same things?

I’m not really talking about the traditional “New Year’s Resolutions” here, because as most of us have discovered, they really don’t work all that well.  I think the reason for that is that they are an attempt to deal with a symptom of something, rather than dealing with the underlying problem.

Now I guess that is a big statement to make; what ‘underlying problem’?

Here’s a theory:  Most of us have a problem with focus.  Here’s what I mean:

Are you focused on good things?  Are you focused on others, on your relationships, family, job…?  Are you focused on your relationship with Jesus?

You see, most of us are focused on a lot of things at once; so many in fact, that we really aren’t focused on anything.  ‘Focus” tends to be exclusionary, that is to say, that if we are focused on one thing, the others slip…

There’s one exception to this rule; our focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ.  If we are focused on our relationship with Jesus Christ, the other necessary areas of focus will not slip, but rather we will be motivated to do all of them better.  If we focus on our relationship with Christ, our relationships with other people will improve, our job performance will improve, and our entire outlook on life will improve.  The only area of focus that will slip is in being focused on self… that will begin to wither, and maybe that’s the part that will allow us to live a better life.

I don’t know about you, but my strategy for being a better human being in the new year will be to focus on Jesus!

There’s something about fresh snow that’s sort of comforting, although it also seems a little dangerous at the same time.  Yes, it is cold, and it can be uncomfortable physically, and heaven knows I’m not all that crazy about shoveling it; in spite of all that there is a comfort in seeing it.

It does have a nice way of covering the brown of winter… not to mention the left-over Fall leaves, and it all looks so very clean.

The clean look of fresh snow is more than just in covering up the ground with a fresh white covering, it is representative of something much more profound… and a little scary.

Fresh white snow is mentioned several times in the Bible in connection with the righteousness of God and the purity of His Word, and I don’t know about you, but to me there is something slightly intimidating about that, since I am so acutely aware of the fact that I just can’t measure up to His standard.

The comfort, however, is greater than the danger, for in Christ we too can be made to “measure up”.  Not, of course, by our own work but instead by His.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Isaiah 1:18

Our sinfulness and imperfection, our unholy thoughts and motivations, our inadequacies and unfaithfulness are made white as snow by the blood of Jesus Christ.  It doesn’t matter than I am my own worst critic, it doesn’t matter than somebody might not like me or that I might stumble and fail.  What matters is that our Lord has taken care of all of that ‘stuff’ and in God’s sight, by His great mercy and love, we are as white as snow in His sight by and through Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus has done this for us, doesn’t it motivate you to redouble your efforts to live a life pleasing in His sight?

As we begin a new year, our life’s road stretches out before us.  Look ahead; what do you see?

Like the picture you might see cold snow and ice for a piece, and then the thaw of spring out ahead…

Maybe you are going through hard times right now; many people are.  Maybe things are going well… even many of these are worried about the future in such uncertain times.  There are nasty economic rumblings out there; in some places there are people in the streets crying out for change.  In some parts of this world there is unrest; unease everywhere.

Are you walking down your life’s road all alone?

Maybe you are going along with your family and your spouse as a strong unit; if so that’s a very good thing. If you falter, maybe they can carry you a ways…

What if you all falter… then what?

Just to be on the safe side, I like to take Jesus along on my life’s road: He can handle things that I can’t quite seem to manage on my own.  He can help me when I stumble, He can carry me if necessary; in fact, He can carry the whole family if we need it. We are never alone out in the wilderness to freeze, or in the desert to die of thirst, for He fills our needs.  We are never overpowered by strangers, for He is with us.

Yes, taking Jesus along life’s road is a good idea, don’t you think?

Look!  Just a little farther and the sun is shining!