Where does your hope lie?
Ladies, where does your hope lie? Is it with God or the world? Is your hope in Jesus Christ or the new year? These are important questions to consider as we say goodbye to 2020 and enter into 2021.
Reflection is great, and the beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the past year—how you have grown, what you need to improve on, what your trials were, as well as what your accomplishments were. This is also a great time to set new goals because we feel like we have a “fresh start”—or a “new chapter” of our lives. Plus we are already in the reflection mindset, so what better time to create new goals than when you have already made mental notes about your growth?
However, have you ever wondered if you have put too much emphasis on the new year for making the “much-needed” changes in your life? We always hear expressions such as, “New year! New me!” or we do the silly superstitions like eating black-eyed peas to ensure good luck. I am seeing a huge rise in these superstitions now with coming into 2021 because 2020 brought so many trials and a lot of uncertainty. However, I don’t think we always grasp what these phrases actually mean, nor do we see how they distract us from the Gospel.
I remember at the beginning of 2020, on January 1st, my grandmother and I made a special New Year’s Day dinner for our family. Keep in mind, this is pre-pandemic, so we had no idea what was coming in 2020. My grandmother has a family tradition of making cabbage and putting a quarter in it and whoever gets it will have a lucky year. I remember saying, “I don’t need luck because I have Jesus”. This is when I was just taking off in my faith and understanding of reformed theology, so I didn’t realize 1) how much that phrase would ring true in my life throughout 2020 and 2) how much my family actually believes in those superstitions and traditions. (More on this topic at another time, so I digress.) Even as BJ and I were driving to town the other day, we saw a church—A CHURCH—with their sign saying, “Which one of you did not eat your black-eyed peas? Is this your fault?”.
As we start this new year, we first and foremost need to remember that God is sovereign. The COVID-19 Pandemic was not a surprise to Him, nor was it just something that “mysteriously” happened. It was ordained and set by God Himself long before creation. We may not know the reason for this pandemic happening, but just remember that not even a sparrow falls out of the sky without the Father’s will. (Matthew 10:29) God was in control yesterday, He is in control today, and He will be in control tomorrow and for the rest of eternity!
Second, we need to remember that conforming to the world is dangerous, but is something that we all do from time to time. (It is part of our sinful nature!) But, as followers of Christ we are called to stand out and be set apart from the rest of the world. (Romans 12:2) Arming ourselves with God’s Word is the best way to do this because as we read God’s Word, we develop a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and then we want to become obedient to God.
So as we enter 2021 and reflect on the good, bad, and mundane experiences that 2020 has given us; let us not forget that God is sovereign and that our hope is not in a new year, “a clean slate”, or “a fresh start” because of a date on the calendar, but because we are made new by the blood of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In addition to the verses I cited throughout my post, here are some verses to give you Biblical encouragement for the new year. My prayer is that you turn away from the false, temporary hope that the world offers and focus your heart, mind, and spirit on the True, everlasting hope that God offers through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Psalm 71:4-6
Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For You are my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth.
By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Romans 12:9-13
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
I encourage you to memorize these verses, which is actually a goal that I am setting for myself (not only this year but as I continue to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord). Feel free to also print them out or save them to your phone. And if you post them on Instagram, feel free to tag me @happilyhansen_.
With love and blessings always,
