Hope for the New Year
“Messy, Messy, Messy.” These are the famous words of Professor Hinkle the magician from Frosty the Snowman. These words summarize how many people around me feel about getting a living Christmas tree. They take work and are messy.
This sentiment hashed around in my mind for quite some time. A fake tree does not take a whole lot of work, but there is also not the joyous smell a real tree brings or the joy in the journey of finding the perfect tree for the year. The fake may be easier, but is not as satisfying.
What about ourselves? Sometimes it is easier to be fake with those around us. To hold back on being vulnerable, real, and messy. It is also hard for us to allow others to be real with us. Sometimes it is sad and hard to hear to stories of those around us. But if there is no realness, there is true loneliness and less life satisfaction. My hope for this year is that we find a community we can be messy with and we allow them to be real with us too. Let us dig into the realness of our humanness. I pray we allow for words of wisdom and truth and give hearts of kindness, forgiveness, and grace in community with one another.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT
