As humans we are prone to making mistakes, and errors. The important thing is that we learn from them, so that we may grow to become better. That is why so many people love New Years, because it gives us a chance to reflect on our past year, especially all the wrong things that have been done so that we may improve in the coming year. But the truth is, we don’t need to wait to be better, we don’t need New Years to start setting goals, or to start a new beginning, we don’t need to wait to start a diet, or be more productive and procrastinate less, or do better in school, etc. Because a new beginning starts with a thought, a thought of improvement, a wanting of change to be better, and that thought can be easily transformed into actions, such as trying to do things that will help you accomplish the things you want to gain, and the things you want to lose. Baptism is a way of new beginning. Confession is also a very effective and good way to start a new beginning and leave all old things behind. Firstly, we need to know that Jesus encourages us when it comes to new beginnings, and that you can discover peace and joy amidst this experience. Secondly, we must know how to set and start a goal. Lastly, how can we overcome obstacles.
Firstly, how can we have peace and joy through this experience. It can be agonizingly difficult to walk through the doorway of a new season in life. What can we do to give God glory? Anytime we let go of something old, there is discomfort, even pain. Anytime we lose something or someone of great importance we experience a great sense of loss, even hopelessness. Yet it’s comforting to remember that the seemingly greatest loss of all, Jesus’ death, resulted in the best new beginning ever, a resurrected Christ. His new beginning and new life allow us to live our lives to the fullest, regardless of what we’ve lost or let go. For in Christ, we are never alone. We are always loved. We can always expect the best from God. He sees far beyond our pain and suffering and has a way of making every new beginning beneficial to us and to those around us if we let Him. Through this process, we’re able to thrive and even discover peace and joy amidst the letting go.
Secondly, how can you set a goal and work towards achieving it? First consider what you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work through them, that way you can motivate yourself more and more, piece by piece as you reach your ultimate goal. Also, we need to learn to share our goals with our family, servants or Abouna. By discussing our goal with others, we are more likely to attain the goal since they will hold us accountable.
Whenever there is change to the better there will always be obstacles. We need to acknowledge that these obstacles exist and we need to expect these obstacles so that when we face them we are not discouraged. Also, we need define who our support system is i.e. our family, church, friends. Defining our support system is important so that when we reach an obstacle we have people we can turn to.
As we start a new school year, we should all take some time to think about what changes we want to make in our life; getting closer to Christ, developing better relationships with our family, limiting social media etc. Lastly, don’t forget to pray about any change you want!
