Need a Fresh Start? Begin Today!
Hello, dear readers, it’s Reen and Linda coming to you from the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This month we’re getting back to basics. I love what the unforgettable football coach Vince Lombardi told his football team annually at football camp, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He wouldn’t start them off with some fancy new field play, but instead took them back to the basics.
Whether a different stage in life, relationship change, job loss, or move to a new area—we all need to go back to the basics. Let’s face it–transition is not easy. Sometimes we find ourselves saying, “How will we get through this one, this time, God?”
The dictionary defines transition as, “A passage from one condition, form, stage, activity, or place to another.” In our life together, Linda and I seem to face constant transitions teaching us invaluable lessons. We believe God allows this so we can continue producing our newsletters and blogs to inspire and help you navigate your own transitions. Your Refreshed Life continues after 10 years, offering you a genuine and authentic window into our lives with the tips, strategies, and insights God provides as we move from one transition to another.
This month we are looking at the concept that no matter your circumstances, every transition offers new opportunities for renewal, a fresh start and new beginnings. And as we get back to the basics, the first step is found in Paul’s words:
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal of winning the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Forgetting the past so you can clearly focus on the future is the first step, but it’s not an easy task. I can see the doubt on your face as memories of disappointments, regrets, and even shame and guilt flood your mind. But God wants you to be free. We will begin discussing next week how you can really do this.
When you leave the difficult things of the past behind, you can anticipate what God has prepared for you to do and who He planned for you to become. And while you may not understand your transition…it is part of God’s epic plan for you to find His purpose for your life, your destiny that He designed before you were ever born.
From reading God’s Word, we realize that His ultimate plan for us is to make us more Christ-like and to use us to reach others for Him. Transition is the ultimate cocoon of growth that moves us from one stage to the next in our upward journey. So, join us this month as we discover how to leave the past behind and continue our path through renewal.
Great verse to go forward with! I just heard it on Widow Connection saying, "Turn off the thoughts of past blunders, and press on to serve the Lord in the capacity He has for me." Can’t wait to see how the Spirit leads us deeper!