New Beginnings (and Endings)…
It's January 2021.
For many of us, January marks of a time of “new beginnings”...
For one, it's the beginning of a new year...
Replete with some new goals and perhaps some new year's resolution...
All in hopes of becoming the "new you".
And 2021 is certainly a time of “new beginnings” for the Hyun family.
This January, we've soft launched a brand new ministry in Barnabas & Co.
And with that, we've had to adjust to new rhythms, new schedules, and even embrace new ways doing ministry.
We've even been able to make some new memories along the way…
For example, for the first time in our 12 years of marriage, Stella and I actually had the opportunity to do the New Year's countdown together (East Coast time because I couldn't make it till midnight).
But as fun as all of this may sound, if we are really honest, it's been mixed in with some real moments of sadness, grief, and a sense of loss. Amidst the happiness of making new memories are moments where both Stella and I look back and we reminisce about old ones - especially the ones that we've shared with our church family.
And while there is certainly this sense of excitement that often comes with the beginning of new adventures and a new way of living life, we still find myself missing and longing for the old.
That's when I began to realize, "new beginnings" are not just about the start of new things... It also means that some things are coming to an "end". In fact, every new beginning actually begins when something has come to an end.
Just as the sun sets before the dawning of a new day...
Or the ending of one year marks the beginning of a new one...
Many times, something has to come to an end in order for that "new thing" to begin.
In Isaiah 43:18-19 - the famous "God is doing a new thing" passage, God actually announces the beginning of the "new thing" on the heels of an "old thing" that is coming to an end. That's why He says in verse 18 - "Don't dwell on the former things or consider the things of old..." - signaling to us as the reader that those former things and the things of the past are coming to an end. And then He announces, "Behold, I am doing a new thing."
All that to say, new beginnings are not just about "beginnings" - they are also about "endings" as well.
So with that in mind, I have a couple of questions for you to reflect on as we begin this new year/season:
What are some of the things that you sense are coming to an end for you in this season of your life?
What are some of these old things that God might he asking you to surrender, let go, and leave behind?
And what are your thoughts and feelings as you sense that this "thing" (whatever it is) has come to an end...that it has come to pass?
Take some moments to pray, journal, and reflect upon on these question.
Because again, it's not just about beginning and starting well, we need to learn how to end well - which requires us not only to embrace not only our "new beginnings" but also our “old endings” as well.
In closing, I want to share a little prayer with you from Strahan Coleman (Prayer Vol. 1):
Thank you, Father, that though I used to be afraid of letting go,
You’re teaching me to live life with an open hand.
Father of all perfect timing, when white-knuckled fear is driving me,
teach me to release the wheel, and when my nerves are wrecked on the shores of the day,
be the tide of peace that rises to meet me.
