Everything about nature, including our lives, is cyclic. We have periods that start, later they finish, then another one starts again.
Photo credit: ©iStockphoto/marekuliasz
This is a characteristic that the Creator assigned to His creation. He created time and He gave us the perception of cycles within it.
At the very begininning, back when God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th day, He established the weekly cycle that we follow up to today.
There are some cycles that have a special meaning to us: birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. Each date marks the end of a period and beginning of something new.
This can be said of the new year. We don’t celebrate new weeks, new months, but we do like to celebrate the new year.
In my opinion, one of the major blessings of the new year is that we have this feeling that we can do anything. That’s when we believe in ourselves and we recover our dreams. A new year brings a fresh start, it means new chances, and whatever happened in the past, it’s gone.
For me personally, this new year brings all sorts of new expectations and possibilities. As I’ve already shared with you, I quit my job last September and I am now in a sabbatical period.
This sabbatical period has been mostly a time for me to learn and to focus on what I love to do.
I’m studying Theology (this is something that I wanted to do for more than 10 years!), I’m increasing my books-read-per-month average (it’s currently 2, I want to get it to 3) and I am currently going through my third full read of the Bible. This time, I’m reading through the NIV translation (that’s my first full read with a non-portuguese translation).
I have also been dedicating more time to writing, which is something that I’ve always enjoyed doing.
My geek side has been satisfied too: I’ve been playing with WordPress, HTML and CSS (new changes coming soon to this blog) and I intend to learn more about iOS programming (I started my IT career as a programmer, I love to do it).
And I’ve been also praying to God that, when the time is right, He will show me what to do next, professionally speaking.
I hope use this new beginning to search for that something special you wanted to do in a long time, and hasn’t done it yet. Pray about it, then if God confirms it, share it with a close friend, so he/she can give you feedback and keep you accountable, so it doesn’t end up in the new year’s resolution list that never see the light of day.
God wants us to use our talents in amazing ways, we just have to be willing to do it.
Pray for something special, and I’m sure He will provide and help you get there.
Have a blessed 2012!
Question for you: Have you already established a goal or decided to do something different/special this year that you would like to share?
This post is part of the “One Word at a Time Blog Carnival” hosted by Peter Pollock. Check out his blog for links to other posts that were written based on the word “fresh”.
I agree, we need fresh starts. They help us to be more intentional with out time. Sounds like you are enjoying your sabbatical. Good for you. May God guide you clearly and bless you dearly!
Yes, Mari-Anna, I’m enjoying it very much. God knew that I needed this time to break the routine, get some rest and be able to review my life and my career with fresh eyes.
Thank you and God bless you too!
I love it that you are studying and learning and also developing and toning your computer skills. May this year bring you a NEW and FRESH start in your Spiritual, social and professional life.
Amen to that, Hazel, thank you!
You obviously have a very straight-focused mind. My husband is a bit like that. Comes from the “Geek” side. And you have lots of skills that are really special and gifted. Nice to see and hear more about you, since we’ve just recently become friends. Bless you and your focus on our Father.
Thank you, Joanne! Blessings to you too!