Fresh Start

Every so often a fresh start is needed.  I find that true of myself and my blogging efforts.  Have you noticed that as we wander through life there are times when we look up from our steps and notice that we have somehow drifted off course?   Varying from the path, however great or small, often occurs subtly, even unintentionally.  Regardless of the amount of drift, we find ourselves in places where we were not meant to be and going toward destinations where we were not meant to go.  The great problem is that once we notice that we are not where we should be we struggle with how to return to our intended path.

Wandering implies that we have lost direction or focus on the destination.  As we walk through life we can stray in many ways.  Possibly we lose sight of financial aims.  We make a few unbudgeted purchases, take impromptu trips or simply go out to eat a few times too often.  In these and in other ways we can easily remove ourselves from sound financial goals possibly taking months even years from which to recover.


Relationships that begin well may sour if not maintained.  Marriages come to mind here.  Years into a marriage a couple might find that the fire in their relationship has cooled.  How does that happen?  We start well.  We are full of love and commitment to each other and cannot imagine anything becoming a distraction.  Many times distractions are exactly what take our eyes off the very real commitment made to one another.  We begin to focus on a job, or kids, or church, or _________ (fill in the blank).  Whatever the distraction, the result can be that after time we find our marriage is not what we thought it would be.  When that happens the easy thing to do is complain, blame, and worse, look for someone new.  


Spiritually, we sometimes wander as well.  We miss a few church services, we forget to have quiet time with God, we don't read His word as often, our prayer life gets neglected.  The joy of our salvation gets lost amid a myriad of other activities that, in themselves, are not bad but that serve to lead us away from our focus on Christ.  That happened to the church at Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2.  They had grown so busy with church work that they lost the true reason for their life.  They lost their first love for Jesus even as they appeared busily working for Him.  He told them to repent and return.  The answer was simple and effective but they had to make a choice to change.


Wandering in the woods on a lovely Spring afternoon can be a wonderful experience.  The sights, the sounds, the smells can make for a much needed respite from a hectic schedule.  Meandering in life, while at first seems just as fun and harmless as  a stroll in the woods, can have negative consequences.  Bad habits can easily be formed that are not so easily discarded.


How do we fix things?  How do we get that fresh start we so desperately need?  I think Jesus' admonition to the Ephesians applies any time we stray.  We must first recognize that we have gone off course, then we must agree that we should return and then we must plot a path back to the original plan.  In finances, we return to sound planning.  In relationships, we communicate openly and together find ways to focus on each other even as we deal with all the aspects of life.  Spiritually, repentance is needed and as David said in Psalm 51 ask God to restore the joy of our salvation.


The choice for change, once we recognize that we have gone astray, is ours.    I have not written in quite some time.  I strayed from a path that I believe God has placed in my heart and this is my return to it.  It Goes Without Saying that I needed a fresh start.  Are you on the paths that lead where you want to go?  Do you need a fresh start too?


Because He lives,


Robby