Happy new year.
I don’t know about you but last year seemed to go so quickly and it was only last week that I was making new year resolutions.
It is no surprise that the most common is to lose weight (eat healthier and exercise) followed by personal growth (learning new skills) and then finances (saving money or getting out of debt).
It is great to set goals — as I said, I do it — but what happens when life throws us a curveball?
What happens when that unexpected bill comes in or a loved one needs an operation we weren’t prepared for? What is our response to this?
Our Bible passage tells us of a time when God’s people were asking these questions.
What should we do when we had plans for our future, but it didn’t turn out the way we wanted?
They were forced from their homes and disposed of everything they had.
The passage from Jeremiah tells us now, as it did for God’s people thousands of years ago, that God has plans for our future.
Plans not to harm us but for our wellbeing, plans that give us a hope and a future.
We need to set goals for the future and have hope (faith expressed for the future) that things will turn out for our good.
It may not seem like it when we are going through the unexpected, but God has us in His Hands.
Why not this year make a new year’s resolution to get to know God better or maybe even get to know God for the very first time.
God is waiting to hear from us, and it simply starts with a conversation, a prayer to God.
May God bless us all in the new year.
Major Greg Turnbull
Campaspe Shire Salvos
42°C