Where is Rewind?

 

I cannot count the times I lost my cool this year. Tempers flared, emotions ran hot, tears were shed, it wasn’t pretty. There were times I got upset at myself for getting so upset with her or with him but I couldn’t rewind the clock. The words had been said, the moment had passed and now I was left with a decision. Would I work to do better or settle for this being just how I am? Did I really have to accept this person, this temper? Did I really have to accept my lack of self-control? Was this really me?

 

Have you ever seen a rose bush? My mom has one outside of her house and I see it almost every day. It is a beautiful pink color and it is so full. There’s one thing I have noticed about the roses this bush produces, there’s always more.

 

This bush does not just produce one beautiful bloom and it is done. No, it has roses coming all season. Some are big, some are small, some are bright pink others may be lighter pink. They are all different but they are all from the same bush.

 

Every new bud is the hope for a new start. The last bloom it produced was not the end all to its rose making days. That was just one of many. Much like our rough days as moms. Those are not the end all to our being a mom or being a wife, but they are part of the bush.

 

As we enter this new year we have a wonderful opportunity. We have the opportunity to produce new blooms that are even better than before. There is no rewind button in life there is only play. In our present we have the chance to do better we just have to know how to begin.

 

Hope in the Present

 

One of the sweetest things about my little girl is that when she gets hurt a little or a lot she always comes to me, her daddy or her Grammy to get a kiss. She is not okay until we have kissed her booboo. The funny part is, as soon as it’s been kissed it is generally all better. The pain magically vanishes with our kisses and she is up and ready to go.

 

Even Moms get booboos and we get hurt. Our hurts go deeper than bumps and scarps. Our hurt happens when we condemn ourselves. We mess up, we lose our temper, we do that thing we never said we would do. We carry those things with us. They hurt us, they haunt us and yet we never seem to have anyone come and kiss them away.

 

This reminds me of the story in Luke 8:42-48. There is a woman with a problem. She has had a discharge of blood for 12 years and she is searching for hope. She has spent all her money, time and energy to be healed but no one can help her. She then hears of a man named Jesus who is in her town. Could this be the answer she has been seeking? She heads out, pushes through the crowded streets and finally touches the hem of His garment.

 

At that moment she knew something was different.

 

She was going to leave it at that but then Jesus did something unexpected. He turned around. He stopped in the midst of the crowd, found this precious woman and addressed her. She was embarrassed, I’m sure, but she admitted that she had touched Him. He did not respond in anger or condemnation but love. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace.”

 

She had finally found hope in her present and it came in the form of Jesus.

 

Could it be that we often seek hope in our present through diets, self-help programs, mom groups, counseling, shopping, or wine instead of seeking it in Christ?

 

Embracing His Hope

 

I love entering a new year. I didn’t always though. A few years ago it was just another time to make resolutions I would not keep and stay up way too late. But that has changed drastically within the past 2 years. God has shown me there is so much to embrace about a new year. It is a time to set goals, dream dreams and embrace more of Him.

 

Could 2017 be the year that we put away wanting to rewind and instead learn how to love our present? What if we set out this year to be intentional about our actions? I understand we can’t be perfect right away but we can choose to take baby steps to being better. I always say, “Even a baby step forward is a step in the right direction.” It is not always the size of the step that matters as long as it is taken in the right direction.

 

Let’s be inspired by the woman who went after Jesus. She knew what trouble was, what physical pain was, but that did not stop her. She saw hope in Him. And her pursuit of Him was worth it. He restored her physically and spiritually.

 

He longs to bring that same restoration to our souls as well. He is our hope. He is our strength. When we embrace Him we embrace hope because He is hope for our souls now and forevermore.

 

Rhiannon is a mom, wife, blogger, designer, vlogger and coffee addict that can be found at http://rhiannonskeen.com . That is her corner of the inter-webs where she shares her heart about life and loving Jesus. She also hops on to vlog from time to time and you can find her over on her YouTube channel HERE .

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