Let Go of the Past!

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."Isaiah 43:18-19 Time sure passes quickly nowadays--it is New Year's Eve again. As we close the door on 2014 & look back on the year that is now past, let's be grateful for the good & relish in our accomplishments. Let us also accept the negative & learn from it as we move forward into a New Year, a new chapter in life. New Year's is a time for reflection, but it is also a time of anticipation. 2014 is done, with whatever it brought with it. For some--like myself, it was a year of change and a year of challenge. For others, it was a year of loss & mourning. For others, it was a good and prosperous year. And for others still, it brought a mixed bag of both good & bad. I saw the end of an era in my own life when I was released/retired on disability from AT&T because of back issues. My season working in telecommunications was good to me. It afforded me much, allowed me to raise & provide for my children & provided me with a means to take care of my wife during her illness and bury her upon her death. After many years, my heart was no longer there & I found my work meaningless & mundane. As that door closed, GOD saw fit to open a door for me to work in the ministry of Teen Challenge, where I had been working part-time for the past couple of years & found very rewarding. My income changed dramatically, but GOD is making provision for me daily and I have no reason to doubt He will continue to do so. My Social Security Disability was denied but is still possible. My attorney is diligently working to secure it for me and I know that it is part of GOD's plan for my life, it will happen & if not--well, I don't want it. I only want what it is GOD desires for me. I've learned that if I try to run ahead & help Him--I tend to make a royal mess of things. It is best to wait on Him. My life isn't what I thought it would be but regardless of that, I am blessed. I'm looking forward to what GOD has in store for me in 2015. I'm open to His Will & want nothing else. Many think I should be in a serious relationship--I' not opposed to it, but not seeking it. Many think I should move elsewhere--I will if GOD so leads. Many think they know what it best for my life--I trust GOD alone. Many think some of the things I do are completely nuts--they might be, but Jesus was seen as a radical & if I am imitating Him--maybe I need to be radical as well. Let us all bid farewell to 2014 and move into 2015 with a positive attitude & great expectations. "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:15-20 Let us look forward rather than backward. We will only stumble in in our attempts to move forward if we are looking behind us instead of before us. My prayer is that 2015 is a year of blessings for us all and that we will conduct ourselves in such a way as to point others towards the cross of Christ. Blessings! Tony