As we start the new calendar, it’s good to reflect back on the past year and reassess ourselves. It is a time to build on our successes and learn from our failures. Failure is not an end, but can be a new beginning. Look at the Apostle Paul. He knew failure! Throughout his life he was opposed, persecuted, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, deserted by trusted co-workers, slandered, and scorned. Sometimes it seemed that projects to which he had devoted years were turning to dust before his eyes. But during one of his stints in prison, he demonstrates in one of his letters an unwillingness to quit. "Forgetting what is behind," he wrote, "and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14, NIV). He stopped looking back, and looked forward instead. He didn't let the fear of failure keep him from trying again.

New Year's is a time to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God. We must begin to trust in God's help. Once again from the Apostle Paul: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength," he said (Phil 4:13, NIV). And God's strength saw him through a lot--through pain, through joy, and through accomplishment.

Last year, if you didn't practice relying on God as much as you could have, there is no time like the present to make a New Year's resolution. Let us resolve to ask Jesus to guide our lives and give us the strength to make the changes we need in order to be better people and servants.

Wishing you a Happy New Year,

Ginger Greene, Elder