Fresh Starts

By Ann Marie Eckert

Do you remember buying school supplies as a kid? Filling your backpack with all those new notebooks, pens, and that fun new "must have" gadget? One of the things I liked about being a student is that school starts fresh each fall. The slate is clean, the notebooks are empty, and there are no grades in the teacher's marking book yet.

Fresh starts are important in life, but they don't happen easily. It is easy to stop paying attention to who we want to be and develop habits that can change the direction of our lives. For example, when I was younger I lied a lot. It wasn't that I didn't want to be an honest person, but I formed a habit of lying to cover for my mistakes, laziness, and bad decisions. After years of lying, things started to come apart for me, and I had to face the truth: I needed to change. Part of that realization came after hearing what Saint Paul wrote to the people of Philippi: "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" (Phil 1:6). It was then that I knew I was a work in progress — sinful and weak, but capable of becoming more. One of the hardest things I have ever done is to trust the image of me I saw reflected in God's eyes.

I have, with God's help, become an honest person again, but there are new areas of my life that need attention now. If you are like me, there is something happening in your life, big or small, that you wish was different. When listening to the song "The Summons," I am always drawn to these two lines:

Will you love the 'you' you hide if I but call your name? Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?

Where is God calling you to change? Pray about it, seek guidance, go to reconciliation, and trust yourself. Change can take time, but fresh starts are possible. You can work your way back to the person God calls you to be.

Consider praying for guidance, using these words or your own:

God of new beginnings,
Make a fresh start in me today.
Give me strength to change.
Guide me to become the person you call me to be.
Help me to begin again that I may be more loving,
more faithful and more ready to serve.
In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

More Links for Making a Fresh Start:

Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.