Happy 2009!

The Knight returns!

After a wonderful Christmas, the holiday haze took a bracing retreat as I found myself in a snow ball fight at the beginning of a new term, and indeed, a new year.

In many ways I looked forward to the end of 2008, and still, in many ways I'm glad it is now in the past. However, I realised today that things won't magically change just cos the dates have. I know this is obvious, but sometimes the obvious surprises you. The beginning of a new year brings with it all the usual, or obvious, questions about life and where we're heading. In the past few days I've foolishly bombarded myself with things I'd like to change, things I want to achieve, all clothed, if I'm honest, with a mild suspicion and wariness of what's out there and what's to come. But yesterday, my dad asked a probing question - what does God want to achieve? What does he think of the year two thousand and nine? What does God have up his sleeve?

It reminded me of the scripture that says 'physical exercise is of some value, but godliness has value in all things'...I was already losing it just three days into the new year. With my ideas, the way I rate myself and my criteria of success; it wasn't looking good. But to start the new year learning and relearning those valuable lessons - like 'in my own strength I can do nothing, but I can do all things through Christ', and also the fact that God looks at our hearts, and not necessarily at our outward victories or failures. That He has plans too. That he cares. That he hopes.

Today I find myself with renewed hope, although completely unaware about what may lie ahead in the months to come. I want to commit to getting to grips with a healthy daily rhythm of life; to make space for God, for others, for work and for leisure. To read. To enjoy life and exercise, grow vegetables and decorate rooms in the house joyfully and creatively and to the glory of God. To offer hospitality and welcome friends and make friends with an open heart. To pray, and seek to find out what it means that God may use me to be the answers to my prayers. To place Jesus at the centre of all things....

The picture above is the beginning of something that I also hope to commit to do each week of this year. The whole piece will be entitled 'holy ground', and I plan to take pictures of my shoes in interesting places, to log the high's and lows of 2009; yet always remembering, that we stand on holy ground. At the burning bush God told moses to remove his shoes as a sign of respect and worship. So, although slightly commical, I want to do the same in the every day ordinariness. We'll see how it goes.

And, as I sign off, I want to share part of a poem I read the other day and I think it's rather apt. It's also my prayer for 2009, that through the many unknowns, we will daily grab his hand and put it in ours, and that the Lord will lead us along the way...

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’
And he replied,
‘Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way’
By Minnie Haskins 'God Knows'