On New Year’s Eve, Husband got a call from a lifelong friend.  His friend’s heart was so full of gratitude and hope that he just had to tell someone.  His twenty-something son had called to let him know he’d be home for New Year’s Eve.  Why the rejoicing?  Because other New Year’s Eves the young man had spent in bad company.  But this New Year’s would be different.  He had just hours before ended a relationship with a girl who was pulling him in a dangerous direction.  The father was so proud, so hopeful, so grateful to see his son headed on the straight and narrow path that leads to life.  We were so happy for them both.  We had prayed earnestly for the young man with such a good heart and so much potential but who was being hindered by this negative relationship.  And now we joined the father in celebrating that his son is starting the new year with stronger faith as shown by his obedience to leave old ways behind.  He is definitely starting new!

This got me to thinking.  Are there things that I need to leave behind in the old year?  Things that are hindering me from being all that God intended me to be?  The first thing that jumps to mind is fear.  

 “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins…And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us…We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love…And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world…Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”  1 John 4:10,13,16,17-18

If I am afraid, it shows that I’m not fully experiencing his perfect love.  If I totally believed he loves me, I would know that he’s giving me the very best.  I wouldn’t be worrying about bad things happening to me or about my lack of what I consider success.  I would accept everything that comes to me as a gift from a loving God.  I would trust that everything has a good purpose and will take me one step closer to being the person God intended.  

If I were experiencing his perfect love and I weren’t afraid, what would I try?  What would you try if you were convinced that a good God loves you perfectly?  If we were confident that God’s love shields our hearts and only allows what will help us?  How would we look at setbacks, disappointments, losses?  Would we see even negative things as part of God’s good intention to make us better?  We would be looking forward to the future because we would look forward to facing God with confidence.  We wouldn’t fear punishment now or later because we rest in a loving God.  A God who loves us so much he bonded us to himself.  He drew us into his triune being by his Son and his Spirit.  He gave us his own Son and his own Spirit so we could experience real love.  So we could be fearless as we live like Jesus here in this world.  

This reminds me of a conversation we had around the dinner table at our dear friends’ house.  We had been invited for a meal at their house along with a young family who is very dear to us.  At the end of the meal, we were all sitting at the table enjoying conversation.  Our dear friend shared something on his heart.  His niece had had a disappointing experience with her church and had quit attending church altogether.  But now he was overjoyed that his niece had recently started to attend our church.  He shared how happy she was to find a church that taught and lived the principles of the Bible. All of us around the table were happy for him and for his niece whom he loved.  Spontaneously a little voice piped up, “And afterwards, there’s cookies!”  The youngest child at the table had been listening to the story of all the niece had gone thru and the happy ending of her finding a church home.  She understood that church offers good things- including cookies after the worship and teaching!  We all laughed for joy.  Joy because the niece found what she needed.  Joy because even a little child can understand a loving God gives us good things.   

“I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them…”  Jeremiah 32:40-41