| Breaking the Cycle - Final Thoughts of 2007 |
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Good evening my friends. Tonight is "New Year's Eve" and many of you are out and about enjoying family and friends as the clock continues to tick toward midnight. I wanted to take the time now to write my final thoughts for 2007.
The calendar is made up of four seasons and twelve months and 365 days. For 25 years now, I have experienced what has become a ritual of life for all of humanity. We wake up. We go to work. We go home. We spend time with friends. We go to bed. We wake up and do it all over again. Sundays we go to church (some of us). After service, we say our farewells, and then wait until the next Sunday to do it again. We fall down. We get back up. We fall down again. The cycle continues. Couples kiss and draw closer to each other. Then they fight and things fall apart. They kiss and make up, then they fight again. The cycle continues.
We meet a stranger. He is homeless. He is dying. We share the love of God. We leave. We go eat a steak. He dies of hunger. We go get warm inside, he dies of winter. The cycle continues. We meet another homeless man or woman, this time we ignore them. God told us to preach to them, but we don't. We are too busy. The light is about to turn green. I don't have time to pull over today. We will never know the potential of that person because we must keep it moving. We must keep the cycle of time moving or else we will miss the train or get fired.
A family member or friend dies unexpectantly, we mourn then we recover. We make resolutions and we break them and then say that the next year we will do better. We praise Jesus on Sundays and then curse Him on Monday, Tuesday, etc. The cycle continues.
Yes, my friends, I know that this is not the typical NEW YEAR'S EVE BLOG. I know that some of my accusations are harsh. You may say, "But we all mess up". I know that. For I see all of my failures from this past year. I see the dreams that "I" wanted accomplished in 2007. I see the things that have caused pain, heartache, and tears not just in my life, but in the lives of those I love the most. I see it, but I am not satisfied.
The cycle must be broken. God is not bound by our seasons and our times. The new year begins when God says it begins. When God says that everything is made new, then we should rejoice and be glad for that is a new day. Each day is a new day. We should live it as our last. We should love God as if today is our last day alive. We should treat each friendship, love one, coworker, and complete stranger as if today is thier last day. With the Love of God will this cycle that we have built be destroyed.
Now I am not saying that it is wrong to celebrate the seasons, but what I am saying is that for centuries we get in this phase where we are too rushed to wait on God. We are too rushed to see God truly change our lives. That is why we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. That is why we are wandering around in the desert when we should be feasting in the promise land.
This message tonight is tough, I know, but it is what God has put on my heart to say. There are things that I wished would have happened this past year, but I must remember that my timing for things are not always going to line up with how He sees it done. So I must wait. I must find that secret place. I must get with Him daily so that I can hear His directions. I must live each day as my last.
And my friends, if tonight is my last day on this planet, I want to thank God for saving my soul and for allowing me to meet my girlfriend, my church family, and you all. I write this from the depths of my heart, not out of despair, but out of truth. That none of us is promised tomorrow. So, I pray that you will remember these words the next time you see someone in need. I pray that you will remember these words the next time you are in church. I pray that you will remember these words the next time you are having a fight. I pray that you will remember these words the next time you want to curse the name of Jesus. Remember these words.
We do not fear death for our earthly bodies, for Jesus conquered death through His sacrifice. Instead, we look forward and dream of the day in which we can look at the face of our Savior. However, until that day, we must live each day to its fullest. Allowing Him to guide our steps and to direct our paths. Allowing God to have total control in our lives.
Thank you my Father for another day. If it is Your will, let us arise and give you glory tomorrow for seeing us through this night. May Your will be done in the Earth. In Jesus' name....Amen
~Jeremy Daniel~ |
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