By Megan Blansit, ST Faith Columnist (Submitted Photo)
This article was previously published in an earlier edition of The Southern Torch. It has been rerun by request.
Well friends, 2018 is winding down! I hope some awesome things have happened for you this year but I’m not naive to think that maybe a dream, a relationship, a certain season and perhaps many other things have ended in your life this year. However, is it possible to look at an “end” as a “beginning?” Maybe things did not pan out how you wanted them to but friend, hang in there. Please, do not put a period where God put a comma! Philippians 1:6 says, “Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.” Wait a minute, that says “completion” right?! Yes, absolutely; we are never forgotten. Our God is a God of his word and nothing we do can ever break his promises. Also notice the verse says, “He who began a GOOD work…” His plans are always good, friend!
Has someone ever handed you a gift, you unwrapped it, and looking at the box that the gift is in you thought, “Oh my gosh, I’ve got to act excited.” Yep. That’s happened to me before! And I actually pulled that trick on my mom this year. I wrapped a nice piece of jewelry in a small Nutella box. She unwrapped the present and said “Ohhhh… Nutellaaaa.” (Bad daughter joke, I’m sorry mom.) Friend, sometimes things we don’t expect or necessarily want to happen are sent our way and by looking on the outside, things look disastrous or like a huge let down BUT I am here to tell you that its not always what it looks like! Your biggest let down or disappointed can actually be setting you up for your biggest blessing! Don’t miss the gift because you don’t like the box; just because something looks bad doesn’t mean good cannot come from it.
I thought for awhile on what would be a good topic for this article. “How do I need to end this year? “…”Do I talk about goals for the new year?” … the pressure felt on. I wanted to end it with a “BANG” Well, friends, the things that have kept popping in my head are consistency, gifts, and no expiration dates. Why consistency you may ask? I believe because God is looking for people who will consistently seek His face during the good and the bad. He is looking for someone after his own heart. And what a gift you will receive when you seek him!
Christ has an abundance of gifts that he is waiting to give us- peace, love, joy, grace, forgiveness, freedom, etc etc. I wonder if we are missing out on some of the greatest gifts because we are “judging the box?” What I mean by this, is that maybe we are looking at people who claim to be Christians and do not desire to be a part of their Jesus. Maybe everywhere you turn you see hypocrites. Maybe you’re asking how a “good God” could allow such “bad things.” What if our preconceived notions of Christ are a little twisted or even wrong? Are we judging the box before we open it? Friend, I beg you to open the box! I beg you to seek His face (with consistency.) 2018 may be coming to an end but God’s gifts never expire. Maybe you're thinking you've messed up too much this year- friend, stop letting Satan keep you defeated. Christ’s blood covers it all! Perhaps the only thing keeping us from Christ and the gifts he has for us… is ourselves. Certain things may have ended for you this year, but remember that Christ’s Word has no expiration dates! It’s not the end, but only the beginning!
