By Tanya Jolliffe RDN, LD, CMHIMP
We read in Proverbs 3:5 that we should trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. I believe this wisdom is needed now more than ever. As we enter a new year, we are also experiencing unprecedented times in our nation. At a time when down seems up, good seems bad, and wrong seems right, we have to remember Jeremiah 29:11 which reads, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
No matter how crazy the world may seem, God has never stopped being in control, and we were each created with a specific purpose in God’s magnificent creation. It is no accident that we are alive at this place and time in history. Do you believe that? We must not lose hope when things don’t make sense but instead put our trust fully in the Lord. “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me” (Psalm 56:3-4)? We must keep our hearts filled with confidence and hope that something better is ahead.
Years ago, I sat in front of my supervisor and the company CO to be informed that a was being let go along with a third of the company without any warning. In that moment of disbelief, the Spirit whispered to my heart that there was something better ahead. As I cleaned out my office and left, I didn’t feel hopeful, but heart broken. I didn’t see how something better could be ahead because I liked where I was and what I was doing. When the next thing came along and it didn’t really feel better, I had to go back to scripture and remind myself of God’s promises. If God whispered to me that something better was ahead, it was. As I kept walking forward in faith, it still seemed unclear what was ahead, but I walked on with hope in my heart knowing that I didn’t walk alone.
Now, nearly seven years later, I have written a book, founded a small business, and received dual certification as a women-owned small business (WOSB) enterprise (WBE). Is that the something better? Perhaps. But I still have hope in my heart that the something better that was ahead is still out there, calling me forward. Maybe that is the hope of eternal life, or maybe there is still something more I am supposed to do while I am here to be fully used by God for his plans and purposes for such a time as this.
What about you? Do you believe God’s word that you have the power to become the daughter of God as is stated in John 1:12? Do you have hope that all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose as is shared in Romans 8:28? Do you remember that Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength?
I don’t know what this new year is going to bring, but I look forward to walking through it in hope. Won’t you join me?
