Endings are often new beginnings

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: Selfcare”
Our Bible verse for today: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Endings are often new beginnings”

Today will be the last daily devotional you will receive from me until Friday August 29^th. The reason is that I am going to practice what I preach (write) about selfcare and I will be going away on a three-day personal retreat. It’s a retreat that I’ve been planning for more than a year.

As I explained to our congregation in my sermon this past Sunday, in August 2024 the truth expressed in Isaiah 43:19 became especially real in my own life. I sensed that God was on the leading edge of ushering me into a brand-new season of life. After the deaths of my wife, son, and daughter, followed by a long season of grieving, it became clear to me that God was about to do some new thing in my life. So, I gathered up some devotional books about the grieving process, and the healing, renewal, and restoration that should follow at the end of it; I got myself a brand-new journal; and I went off for a personal retreat, just me and Jesus. The purpose was to try to get a sense of what the Lord was about to do in my life.

Every day during that year I studied, prayed, watched, and listened. I also made an entry in my journal each day to record what God was showing me. Now that year of healing, renewal, and restoration is within days of being completed and it’s time for me to get away with the Lord again to prayerfully and thoughtfully review the entire year.

I told you in a recent devotional in this series about a wonderful little book I came across written by Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame). The title is “The World According to Mr. Rogers” and it was written for adults not children. Here is one insightful thought he shared that really resonated with me: “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

That is so true! Often, the ending of one thing is the beginning of something new. That’s especially true with respect to the seasons of our lives. The end of one season is the beginning of the next. In terms of selfcare, it’s very helpful if we view our endings that way and instead of allowing ourselves to get mired in grief for what has ended, after an appropriate and healthy period of grief and adjustment we must turn our attention to the new thing God is beginning for us. “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (By the way, as the past year unfolded God brought Aimee into my life, and she has now become my wife.)

I’ll be back with you on Friday. In the meantime, I encourage you to prayerfully consider what new thing God may be preparing you for in your life.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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