Forget the past

"I will no longer waste my time relieving the past, instead I will spend it worrying about the future."

Haha....  Truthfully, this is how I often live.  I spend a lot of time reliving the past and, alternately, worrying about/planning the future.  This morning my husband spoke about these words from Isaiah in the Old Testament.

“Forget about what’s happened;

    don’t keep going over old history.

Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.

    It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?

There it is! I’m making a road through the desert,

    rivers in the badlands."

Isaiah 43:19

Most New Year's eve I reflect on the past year and look forward to a New Year.  This year want to take seriously the words from Isaiah and forget about what's happened.  I'm a little anxious about the New Year. So many things seem so uncertain.  I pick a "word" for the New Year.  I haven't picked one yet.  Last year's word was "contentment".  I feel I was/am pretty content.  This year.... hmmmm.... I don't know yet.  I want to live expectantly, to trust wholeheartedly, to take risks, to be bold, but there is a certain amount of fear.  

So, what should my "word" be this year?  What about your word?  

Ahhhh

Today was such a relaxing day.  I want a whole string of days like this.  We had a fire in the fireplace, junk food out and a puzzle starting on the dining room table.  It actually felt like vacation today!
I don't want it to be Sunday tomorrow.

Would You Want to Know?

If you could know what the new year holds, would you find out?  When I opened my email this morning, there was a link for horoscope with a subject line something like "find out the future".  In some ways it's tempting.  But, what if the year has a lot of bad news?  I wouldn't want to know that!  
I've been pondering my "word" for the year.  Every year I choose a word for the year.  I pick a word that expresses what I want to "work on" or one that I Hope for.  Last year I chose the word "Contentment".  My husband chose the word "Hope".  
As I think about this last year, I feel I was content but also challenged to make some changes.  I've been learning a lot about faith.  I need to trust God for every moment.  True faith doesn't need to know what tomorrow holds.  True faith trusts in the Sovereign love and power of God, our Father who loves us.
I still have a few days to think and pray about my word for 2013.  
I have a fair amount of anxiety about the future as I look at the news... "The Fiscal Cliff"...  unrest in the Middle East, increasing violence in our country in places like malls, theaters and Kindergarten classes.
I wonder about my job(s) (of which I have 3)... my husband's work (he also has about 3-4 jobs)... our own personal debt and the future for our children.  How stable are our jobs?  How stable is anything, really?
Hmmmmm...