The Blank Canvas
Well, hard to believe, but 2022 is almost in the history books. The saying goes like this, “Time flies when you are having fun.” If that is true, then I must have had the time of my life these past twelve months, because boy oh boy, did this year fly by. The older I get, the more I realize that time does truly fly by, whether “fun” is involved or not.
For some of you, this was a year filled with more ups and downs. But for others, you almost wish 2022 never happened. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, as you put the finishing touches on 2022 and begin to think about what paint colors you want to splash upon the canvas in the new year, this is a good time to take an honest assessment of your life.
Questions such as – How am I doing physically? How am I doing emotionally, financially, relationally? Where am I lacking? How am I doing in my walk with God? Where am I putting my trust; is it solely in God or do I find myself placing my trust in earthly things?
A passage of scripture found in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah compares a life of someone who trusts in the Lord with someone who trusts in man and manmade things. Here is what we read in Jeremiah 17:5-8, taken from The Voice Bible translation –
“Cursed is the one who trusts in human strength and the abilities of mere mortals. His very heart strays from the Eternal. He is like a little shrub in the desert that never grows; he will see no good thing come his way. He will live in a desert wasteland, a barren land of salt where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in Me alone; the Eternal will be his confidence. He is like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots beside the stream. It does not fear the heat or even drought. Its leaves stay green and its fruit is dependable, no matter what it faces.”
Putting your complete trust in Jesus will not take away the storms and the droughts. However, putting your trust in Jesus will keep you anchored during the storms and nourished during your droughts. So, as we look to say goodbye to 2022 and start the new year, why not ask God to give you a faith that keeps you nourished both day and night, in the light and the dark, when the skies are sunny or when they are cloudy, and in the good and in the bad.
Go ahead, right now ask God to increase your faith so you can draw nourishment for your roots and be like a tree planted by the water – not fearing when the heat comes, always having green leaves, not worrying about droughts, and always bearing fruit. Right now, the canvas of 2023 is blank, completely bare, so, go ahead, splash your paint on it!
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