We are now at the last day of the first month of the new year. At the beginning of the new year, we have so many ambitions and goals we desire to accomplish the new year. We may desire to eat healthier, save more money, pay off debt, or simply be a better version of ourselves. How are you doing with these goals? Have you regressed, or are you still on track to becoming a better you? Wherever you are, it's not too late to continue or start again. Be honest, truthfully acknowledge where you are, and make a decision to continue to move forward to accomplish those ambitions and goals. This time choose to keep moving forward.
I am reminded of the children of Israel. They wanted better, but when things got difficult, they wanted to turn and go back to the familiar. Isn't this mindset so recognizable to us? We have often heard or even said some of the following things: "I am so hungry. Eating healthier is too hard. I'm just going to eat one bad meal", or "I know I said I was going to save more money this year, but I can't pass on this sale. Who knows when they'll have this sale again?" Consequently, this sounds like the same mindset as the Israelites. We are going back to the things we vowed to move forward from.
The children of Israel were on their way to the Promised Land, but they soon became complainers. The Promised Land was in distant view, and they quickly became angry at their leader, Moses for taking them out of captivity. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians. It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert." Exodus 14:11-12
At this point, the children of Israel had forgotten they were indeed in slavery. That past life wasn't as great as they were currently saying it was. Their leader, Moses cried out to the Lord. God's response to Moses was simple.
"Tell the Israelites to move on."
As we near the end of the first month of the year, don't turn back. Continue moving forward! The desert that the Israelites were in was not their final destination. It was just a pathway they had to go through to get to the Promised Land. You are closer today to your goal than you were when you initially started. It's easier to pick up where you are now than going all the way back to the beginning of the journey. It's harder to start over if you stop now. Keep moving forward. What's the easy thing to do? Stop and go back to the familiar, or keep moving forward. Today, I encourage you to do something different. Reset, recommit, to those goals you had at the beginning of the year, and keep moving forward. "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. See, I am doing a new thing! Isaiah 43:18-19a