Maintain

I must admit, I am the type of person who loves New Year’s resolutions. Guilty as charged. This time of year, I am always reminded of one of my favorite bands The Counting Crows and their song, A Long December. The one part of the song represents my belief at the end of the year that says, “Maybe this year will be better than the last.” I am always hopeful and ready for a clean slate; a chance to start over. However, as God has been working on my heart, influencing the way I think, there has been a shift slowly taking place. Before you ever get to the new, you have to deal with the old. 
 
In Matthew 9:16 it says, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.” Here’s the reality, I think many of us, as we look forward to 2020, are trying to pull away from our mistakes, our habits, and our bad choices. The problem is when we simply try to cover things up, we only make things worse. I am not implying that we should get hung up on those things, but in order for new hopes, new dreams, a new you to take place; check to see where the holes are in your spiritual walk. What areas of your life need patching up? 
 
As I was reminded this morning by Pastor Steven Futrick, don’t just look for a way of escape, a new situation. Face things heads on. Dave Ramsey said, “The only people that get hurt on a roller-coaster are those who jump off,” so stay the course. As you prepare for 2020, I encourage you to embrace this word “maintain.” At first glance this word may seem less than inspiring. So, are you telling me, you don’t want me to get better? Of course not. I want you to maintain in this sense: to preserve from failure or decline, to sustain against opposition or danger, uphold and defend. In your relationships, maintain the love of Jesus. In your marriages, maintain that Jesus is the necessary third strand that binds you together. In your families, maintain that every decision you make is Christ-centered. In 2020, be ready to uphold the truth, defend your faith and relationships, and preserve them from decline and failure.
  
Remember to be a blessing to someone else today!