No more of the same. How to Make 2019 Different

 

I’m a fan of January.

Not the weather so much. But the permission we all feel to begin again. I love seeing the gym jam-packed with people determined to get in shape. I love seeing my church filled with people who want to make their spiritual growth a priority this year. And I love that 90% of everyone I talk with is trying to eat healthier by going Keto, or Paleo, or Vegetarian, or Whole 30 or Pegan, which is a thing and sounds hard.

And even though nothing is really “different” there’s something significant about flipping December’s page on the calendar that signifies a new beginning.

 

There’s an ancient Jewish tradition found in the Old Testament book of Leviticus called, “The Year of Jubilee.” The year of Jubilee marks the final year at the end of seven, seven-year cycles. (The 49th year for all you non-math wizards.)

The Year of Jubilee was cause for huge celebration and stood remarkably different than any other year.

 

Because in the Year of Jubilee, two significant things happened:

 

1. Life Simplified

“Jubilee” was a year of rest for the people as well as the land. No one sowed seed for crops during the Year of Jubilee. You were to live on what was sown in the (prior) 48th year and whatever happened to spring up on its own in the 49th year. God promised the people He would bless them in the 48th year with enough for two full years.

And then, they had to believe that He would. Jubilee was about rest for people and rest for the land.

 

But the year of Jubilee was also about trusting God instead of relying on your own ability to get things done. The Israelites had to believe in faith for God’s promised provision. They had to trust in the fact that even though they didn’t sow any seeds for in an entire year, the Lord would still give them an abundance of food and finances for two full years.

Nothing was expected of the people except faith in God and confidence in His power.

“Jubilee” was like hitting the reset button for people, for faith for land, all of it.

I don’t know about you, but that would be super hard for me. I am one of those guys who believes in and values hard work. If I see a problem or a roadblock, I pour all my efforts into fixing it. I’m an Enneagram 8-maybe a 7-that’s still up for debate, but either way, I’m an action taker.  To take an entire year off and trust it wouldn’t set me back financially, and I would still have groceries, and could still keep contributing to my retirement fund, would be a very hard pill for me to swallow.

For 2019, I get the sense, that just as God called the Israelites to trust He would be faithful to them, He is also calling You and me to believe He will come through for us.

As we go through life and experience loss, pain, and disappointment, it’s easy to doubt God’s faithfulness over us. It’s easy to deduce that everything is up to us. And that kind of thinking saddles us with a load of fear, worry, and anxiety, we were never meant to bear.

At my core, I want to err on the side of believing my God can and will come through for me. I want to have confidence that even though I’ve experienced pain, loss, and disappointment in this life, God is for me, He loves me, and He has good things in store for me.

Friend, we listen to ourselves a lot, but sometimes, we’d be better off talking to ourselves, reminding ourselves of truths like-

His perspective to so much broader than ours.

He wants to answer your prayer.

He wants to bless you.

He wants and is able to meet all of your needs according to His glorious riches.

And to help His people remember that, God gave them the Year of Jubilee.

2. Personal Freedom

The second significant thing that happened in the Year of Jubilee was personal freedom. According to Leviticus, Jubilee meant slaves and prisoners would be freed. Jubilee meant debts would be forgiven. Jubilee was physical evidence of God’s mercy. Every single person received a fresh start.

Every single person got a do-over. Every single person had a new beginning.

 

In that sense, Jubilee was a foreshadowing of what Christ would accomplish on the cross. All of our debts, bad choices, and sin-redeemed, with one act of sacrificial kindness on the cross.

One act of kindness which ushered in our fresh start, our do-over, and our new beginning.

 

2019 can be a season of Jubilee for you and for me. It can be the year we finally deal with the pain and disappointment we’ve sequestered to the corner of our souls for too long. 2019 can be the year we address our junk, gain some personal freedom and encounter new found joy. It could be a season of rest. A season when the darkness doesn’t seem to be following us. And instead, light and hope break through.

How can we make 2019 different?

The answer:  simply change your mindset this year. You control your thought life. And You have the ability to think differently this year.

Shift your focus from the negative to the positive. From darkness to light. From fear to trust. From sadness to joy.

Boss your emotions around. Remind yourself of truth and all the ways God has been faithful to you when you start to go dark.

 

You have permission to believe that God will come through for you again. Despite what has happened in the past, He is still good and He longs to give good things to you. I don’t know about you, but I want to take that risk this year. I want to take that leap of faith and have the mindset that my God is good and He will not only meet my needs but go all Eph 3:20 on us and orchestrate more than I could ever ask for or imagine. Just like He did in the year of Jubilee.

 

Here’s to a New year filled with joy, hope, and peace in a God who holds the whole world together in the palm of his hand. He will be faithful to you once again.

 

Until next time,

Chris

 

PS. 2019 you could use some weekly inspiration, encouragement and real-world steps to living the life God has for you. SUBSCRIBE HEREfor our weekly blog posts

 

PIN ME FOR LATER!