When I find myself bewildered by the pressures of daily life, I always find it helpful to go back to my roots, so to speak.  That is, I ask myself a few simple, clarifying questions about myself and the circumstances that I face.  Who am I?  What really matters to me?  What do I want to achieve?   When I spend a few minutes getting my bearings, I usually find that any fog clouding my thinking is cleared away.  

To that end, I encourage you to start this new year remembering who you are created to be.  Read the first chapter of the book of Genesis again.  Go back to the garden and spend a few minutes getting your spiritual bearings.  Who are you?  What really matters?  What is the meaning of your life?  Read about your roots in the living God who created you in His image, after His likeness.  It helps a lot for a Christian to re-visit the first three words of the English Bible…“in the beginning.”  When you read the first chapter of the Bible you will soon come upon the crowning work of God’s six days of creation.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.     Genesis 1:26-28

The Bible blows away any doubt about who you are and why you are here on earth.  You were created as God’s image-bearer to have dominion over creation.  In effect, you are a co-regent with God to govern planet earth, just as He Himself would manage.  You were made to live in relationship with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Of course, we all know the rest of the story.   Sin made a mess of God’s plan.  That is, we disobeyed God’s simple instructions and as a result the image of God in us was “defaced”.  But the rest of the story of the Bible details how God, through Jesus Christ, restored His original image in us.  ^“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”  (1 Corinthians 15:22).  That’s why Paul wrote in Romans 6 that ^“sin will have no dominion over you”.   In His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ restored your original purpose for being. 

The simple message for us is that we are meant to reflect the image that is stamped on our DNA as we go about taking dominion over the works of creation.  When you begin to feel overwhelmed by the chaos around you, remember the image of God in you and the gift of God to you in Jesus Christ.

Determine to start 2021 with a renewed commitment to who you are in Christ.  Remember Paul’s word to the Corinthians . . .  “yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  (1 Corinthians 8)

This year I’ve wrestled between the tension of missing our normal Christmas celebrations that WE ALL love and the reality that nothing has changed for we who love the Christ of Christmas.  Pandemic included.

If anything, the suffering we are experiencing because of the absence of corporate Christmas gatherings, is driving faith deeper for many of us.  Though, I am always conscience of those whose faith is being weakened by the present trial that the world is undergoing.  

So, I’m learning to push through the moments of regret in order to cling to Him in faith.  I’m even being bold about asking Him to show up in ways that I never anticipated in Christmas past.

And He is granting my prayer. 

The cool thing about being a Christian is that we are described in the Bible as “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).  The text actually says that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  By His love He heals us, comforts us and encourages us.  Being a Christian means there is always “MORE” to the story of our lives.  We are more than our circumstances.  We are more than our trials.  We are more than meets the eye. 

Whatever you are feeling this Christmas, believe what God says you are in reality.  More than an overcomer.  And then stand in the wonder of Christmas, as you always have. 

From April and me to our church family, near and far, blessed Christmas to each one.  We love you and thank God for you.  We are looking forward to what the new year holds for our church family. 

Stay safe, stay strong in the Lord and stay connected to your church family.

Love,

P.S. Just to be clear!  The fun picture above is from one year ago.  But I thought you might appreciate the smile.