A few months ago I sold what I thought was our inflatable pool. It was in its box and I didn’t check that it was actually our pool. It turns out the box was full of two air mattresses, but fortunately the people buying it decided they would keep the mattresses and not worry about the pool.
2020 has been a bit like my pool sale. At the start of the year and the new decade we were excited by the picture on the box and what we believed and desired 2020 to be. However very quickly we realised the year was going to be vastly different from the display “on the 2020 box”. For some it has been a very difficult and disappointing year where they threw out their goals and calendar and battened down the hatches to weather the storm as best they could. Others have adjusted to the challenges and determined to make the most of the situation, which has enabled them to harness the potential of what came out of the box . A bit like choosing to go camping with my air mattresses rather than having a pool party in the backyard.
Whatever your year has looked like 2020 has been a timely reminder to all of the importance of being able to adjust and adapt. For my family it’s meant a lot of change and adjustment. We’ve had to close down public gatherings, cancel our trip to the USA for Christmas, my husband lost his job, I’ve had an accident, some of our children have struggled with illness and two more of our children moved interstate in amongst state border closures. We’ve had to adjust, trust and lean into God and His promises. Instead of an overseas trip we have paid off all our small debts, our kids have had to grow and become more self-sufficient, my husband chose to upskill and completed his MBA, I made use of my time and studied and honed my skills and we’ve taken some time out to recharge and reconnect.
It’s when we are under pressure that we see who we are and what we believe, and it’s in those moments that it’s vital that we look for the potential and possibilities rather than all the problems, trusting that God will work all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Some things are out of our control but we are able to control our responses and attitude. We can seek God as to what and how we wants us to move forward and trust that He is working even when we can’t see or feel it.
As the year draws to a close and you start to contemplate what is ahead, I encourage you to set some goals and a vision for the New Year. But also be ready to adapt and adjust your strategy and plans if the picture on the box of 2021 starts to look different from what you have planned. God always has a counter strategy for anything the devil thinks up and promises to “perfect all that concerns us” and to help us reach our goals. What He has started in us He is faithful to complete even if and when the picture looks different to our plans. And remember, “if it’s not good yet, then God’s not done yet.“
Prayer: Lord thank you for the year and for being with us through it all. Please help me to see the possibilities and potential for the year ahead and teach me how to be able to adjust and adapt when the picture starts to look different to “what’s on the box”. I know that you are working all things together for my good. In Jesus name Amen.
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