A note from Kelly King: It’s hard to believe that 2020 is here! And no matter what you’re resolving to do this year, I agree with Kaye in today’s article that everything begins with a relationship with Christ. If you say “yes” to one thing in 2020, say yes to Jesus. If that’s you, let us know. We want to celebrate with you!
Happy New Year! Can you believe it is 2020? I love new beginnings and fresh starts, which is why I love the turn of the calendar page to a new year. The new year inspires goals, dreams, possibilities, and visions. What are you dreaming about for 2020? What is the Spirit prompting in you? What is your God-given vision for your body, your soul, your spirit, your ministry, your career, or your family? I’ve been pondering all of these questions lately.
No matter how many times you’ve started and re-started a diet, start again. No matter how many times you’ve started and re-started an exercise plan, start again. No matter how many times you’ve started and re-started a reading or study plan, start again. No matter how many times you’ve pursued relational reconciliation, start again. The best start to a new year is to say yes. Say yes to the dream, the hope, the idea, the vision, the plan for emotional health, spiritual health, and physical health. Say yes.
When I look back over the topics we covered in 2019, I am reminded again that we are a people in pain. I wish I could say that 2020 will be pain free, but that is not the case. We will continue to take a deeper dive into the things that cause us pain and how we can best lead ourselves and others through it. But before we do, we need to go back to the beginning and ask ourselves, “Have I said yes to the one relationship that matters most?” The best start to a new year—the best platform from which to examine ourselves and our pain—is to say yes to a relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ.
I had lunch recently with a dear woman in a great deal of emotional and relational pain. As I listened to her story, it became clear that her greatest need was a relationship with Christ. As I shared with her, I likened the invitation to Jesus to a marriage proposal. In that moment, He was (through our conversation and figuratively) getting down on one knee and asking her, “Will you marry me?,” “Will you love Me, learn about Me, live with Me?,” “Will you let Me live with you and love you?,” “Will you say yes?”
Will you? There will be pain in 2020, and it will be exponentially more painful without the comfort and strength that is found only in and through a relationship with Jesus.
The best start to a new year is a yes—yes to Jesus. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved (Romans 10:9). I love what follows in Romans 10:11 (NASB), “For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’”
People will disappoint you in 2020. You will disappoint yourself. But Jesus will NEVER disappoint you or abandon you. He will never give up on you. He will never stop loving you. He will always fight for you and pursue you. He is your very best start to your new year. Say yes.
Kaye Hurta has a Masters Degree in counseling from Liberty University and is a crisis counselor for Women’s Events through Lifeway Christian Resources. Whether speaking, singing, or listening, Kaye’s passion is to help others find intimacy with Christ and soul transformation through the living pages of His Word. Kaye met and married her husband Chris in Austin, Texas in 1987. They have two daughters through the miracle of adoption, Madison and Cami. Kaye is also a contributing author for the Lifeway resource, Women Reaching Women in Crisis.