Christian Reflection and Prayer

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

(The last two Reflections in the series)

Do you feel stuck?  Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.

No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. 

#13. Share your story with others.  Let people
who don't yet have relationships with Jesus
know about how God has given you a fresh
start in life.  Talk with people on common
ground (wherever you all are regularly together,
such as at work, school, or your favorite restaurant). 
Accept people as God's creations, even when
you don't agree with their lifestyles or approve
of their choices.  Avoid being preachy, pushy,
or phony with them.
Simply share the story of what you life was like
before Jesus and what it has been like since
Jesus changed your life.  Then naturally shift
the conversation to them, asking about something
simple like: "What about you?  Have you ever had
any interest in God?".  As you're faithful in caring
for people, you can expect God to do the rest of
the work to draw them into relationships with Him. 
Celebrate how God uses your own fresh start to
inspire other people to pursue fresh starts in their
own lives.

#14.  Keep going strong.  Stay closely
connected to God so you can live with
passion each day and depend on God's
power to help you live out the right values. 
Your fresh start can keep propelling your
life in the right direction.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.

Article publication date: August 20, 2009

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler


Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.

No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#11. Redeem rejection. Memories of past
rejections can leave you stuck without the
will to take new risks and try to pursue God's
best for your life. But while people in our
fallen world will inevitably let you down, God
will always be there for you when you need
Him. You can have complete confidence that
God loves you unconditionally and will help
you move forward with your life to fulfill good
purposes. Choose to live to please God,
not other people.
Ask God to help you see the potential that
He sees in your life. Pray to have compassion
on the people who reject you, realizing that
they're hurting people in need of God's grace,
just like you. Let your experiences of rejection
make you a more compassionate person toward
other people. Invite God to pour out His love
through your life to help heal the pain that others
feel and draw them to Him.

#12. Attack anger. If you're stuck in anger,
God will give you the peace you need to
overcome it. Delay responding immediately
to people and situations that make you angry.
Step back to ask yourself, "Why am I really
angry?" Realize that anger is a secondary
emotion; try to identify what the primary emotion
is that's causing your anger (frustration,
disappointment, annoyance, fear, etc.).
Defuse your anger by choosing to respond
in a peaceful way, despite your feelings
(such as deleting an offensive e-mail without
reading it or making a joke about a hurtful
comment someone makes). After you've
had enough time to calm down, you can
confront the people who make you angry
through calm conversations that let them
know how they made you feel. Pray for
the wisdom and power you need to choose
peace over anger.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.

Article publication date: August 20, 2009

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

Do you feel stuck?  Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.
No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help.  Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#9. Overcome discouragement.  If you're
stuck in discouragement, don't despair because
God always offers you real hope.  Discouragement
can teach you about your unfulfilled expectations,
and it can also reveal areas of your life that
you need to change with God's help.  So pray
about the source of your discouragement and
shift your focus from yourself to God.  Ask
God to give you an eternal perspective on
your life so you can pay attention to what
matters most and let the rest go.  Schedule
leisure time into your schedule regularly so
you don't get burned out, which can lead to
discouragement.  Make a habit of consistently
encouraging the people around you.

#10. Find true friendships.  Loneliness
can make you feel stuck without hope
of finding others who will truly care about
you and share life's joys and sorrows with
you.  But God will give you the courage
you need to reach out to people and form
true friendships.  Realize that you and a
few close friends can be better together
than you can be apart, because you can
grow through your friendships into the
people God wants you all to become. 
Ask God to give you abundant opportunities
to connect with people and cultivate close
friendships with them.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.)

Article publication date: August 20, 2009