New Life, New Beginning

Everything new is usually appealing, including a new life. That is, when we leave the old behind and step into an experience that is truly new.

Speaking of a new life, there is one experience I remember. After working in an office for so long, my parents asked me to help with their business in the traditional market.

On my last day going to the office, I remember entering that traditional market in my work clothes. I imagined that the next day I would become part of the people there in that market. A new life, that was what I was thinking.

I wondered whether I would be able to enjoy this change in life. The working hours were not normal. I had to wake up at three o'clock every morning and work long hours. 

Would I be able to manage that new job well? Anxious, worried, and of course nervous, because everything was new and I had to learn it all from scratch.

New Life = Forgetting What Is Behind

And now, a new year has arrived. Perhaps many of us are getting ready to face this new year. For those of you who went through difficult times last year, you may be thinking about a new life. Starting to rebuild the future, rising from hardship, or perhaps a new life spiritually.

It cannot be denied, anxiety, worry, fear, and nervousness will surely haunt us. So then, what exactly do we need as we step into a new life?

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

When entering a new life, of course we must forget what has happened behind us. We must not keep living in the past. If we keep living in the past, we will never be able to move forward. 

Paul also had an unpleasant past. He once opposed the disciples of Jesus, dragged them from one synagogue to another, put them in prison, and had them flogged (Acts 22:19). It may be that he regretted all of that.

But Paul did not want to be consumed by his past. He forgot everything that had happened behind him and focused on what was ahead while running to reach his goal.

Like a runner, he ran and did not look back even for a second. He would stay focused on the path before him: the finish line. The same is true for us today, do not look back; let us focus on the goal while setting in order what we can improve from the past.

We may learn from the past, but we must not be bound by our past. 

Do Not Forget God In Your Planning

James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make a profit,” yet you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 

We will never know what will happen tomorrow, or the day after. Today we are healthy, but tonight we may fall sick. Or yesterday we were young and healthy, but after the sun sets, we may already be lying still.

James is right that life is like a mist that appears for a moment and then disappears. There is no guarantee about tomorrow. Therefore, we must not ignore God in any of our plans for a new life. James reminds us not to be proud, but to keep depending on God.

By always remembering that this life is full of uncertainty, we will depend more on God and live rightly before Him.

Do It Earnestly

Hebrews 6:11 But we want each of you to show the same earnestness so that your hope may be fully assured until the end

Lastly, if we have intended or planned to live a new life, let us do it earnestly. In that way, our hope can be fulfilled. 

If we want to become different people, let us change consistently. Find a community that can help, or an environment that is supportive.

If we want to pursue a new business opportunity, make a good plan while entrusting it to God.

Or if you are going to live a new life because, for example, you are moving to another city or another country. Do it earnestly as well. Forget the past, sincerely want to get to know more friends, and learn from one another.

Or if you are about to enter married life, a new life with your spouse, do it earnestly before God. So that your household may become a blessing and an example to others.

Starting a New Step

In closing, a new life is certainly not as easy as we imagine, yet it is also not as difficult as we think. Last year has ended, accompanied by both failures and victories. Do not be discouraged, we still have new days in this year to begin a new page and a new life. So, new life, new beginning! Wishing you success!