“…because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven” Luke 1:78

The sight about caused me to throw up. The gunk that came out of the drain in the shower was unidentifiable and disgusting. A slow drain during my shower that morning was the last straw and I had to tackle the project of cleaning it out. 

As I was finishing up, I was thinking about how we go into the shower with the grime and mess of the day on us, and walk out clean and fresh. It’s a chance to start over and face the day with clean skin and a new attitude.

Isn’t that true about our walk with Christ? Every day, we awake with fresh mercy and a new start. We awake with a chance to walk hand-in-hand with Him and allow Him to lead us through our day. We are fresh and pure as we begin the day.

Some days are better than others, walking closely with Him, sensing His leading.

Other days are a struggle, when I slip and slop my way along, forgetting to lean on Him and feeling miserable as a result. Sin creeps in and I have to stop and ask forgiveness.

At the end of what has been a roller coaster of a year, I look ahead with hope and expectancy. Early in 2011, the “believe” surfaced as my word of the year. I have been challenged to stay focused on believing God – through the good and the bad. Things happened this year that I cannot explain, wouldn’t have planned and never would have asked for.

And yet, those very things have drawn me closer to God, caused me to rely even more on Him and shown me His hand in everything that has happened.

He cares. He loves us. He wants the best for us.

As I look toward a new year, I know wherever it is I am headed, it is with God. I may not know the details, but He does. I just have to “believe.”

What is it that you are believing Him for in 2012?

Happy new year and blessings!