Monday Motivation: Starting Over

Friends

This is a day of new beginnings. Will you step into it with trust and hope?

 

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – NIV

 

It hit me like a lightning bolt the moment I passed through the ancient double doors,. Was it the sound of my ample-sized footsteps on those well-worn, linoleum-lined hallways? Was it the colorful artwork created by tiny hands ? Was it the sunlight streaming through the old window frame illuminating the long corridor adorned with brightly decorated doors? Perhaps it was the pitter-patter of tiny feet or the echo of childish giggles. 

 

No, it was the smell that transported my 45-year-old self back in time. It was the scent that floated down the hallway straight into my nostrils. It was the smell of elementary school lunches being prepared in the cafeteria.

 

As this all-too-familliar aroma assaulted my nostrils, my stomach did a flip-turn, my chest tightening in an involuntary pang of anxiety. Suddenly, I was 8 years old again, my tiny feet stepping across the threshold with great hesitation, my quivering hand reaching out, grasping the refuge of my father’s strong and steady hand. My big, brown eyes stood open wide on high alert, my stomach tied up in knots. 

 

I could hear the echo of marching feet reverberating down the long hallway, the rise and fall of an unfamiliar teacher’s voice coming from a nearby classroom. Everything was different, the hallways, the classrooms, the faces, but one thing never changed, no matter where I went. It was always the same. The smell.

 

Step by faltering step, hand in hand, Daddy and I performed our well-rehearsed scene, a dance we had done before and would do again many times in the years that followed. With strength and purpose, Daddy led me to the principal’s office where the receptionist greeted us brightly. I waited silently while Daddy filled out the required registration forms. The principal welcomed us with customary warmth, and then performed the cursory review of my school records. Within moments, our shoes were smacking the well-waxed hallway floor as the principal led Daddy and me to my new classroom. Suddenly, it was showtime. Time to start over.

 

That little scene was repeated 25 times throughout our years as a military family. Army life meant moving, and my Mama packed up our household goods 29 times during my childhood and adolescence. Was it hard? Of course. It challenged all three of us, but moving went with the job. Daddy signed up to serve our country, and he did so with courage and valor. We may not have always liked the moves, but we all accepted them without complaint. I learned early about duty and honor. 

 

There were many hard things about being the new kid at 25 schools, but one of the good things that stands out to me this morning was the ability to start over. Every new school offered the opportunity to begin again. If I didn’t particularly like a place, it was alright. I knew we wouldn’t live there long. If the kids were mean to me at a new school, I could weather through it, knowing that I wouldn’t be there forever. Every new school was a clean slate, a chance to meet new people and make new friends.

 

There is a freedom that comes with new beginnings. We are no longer held captive by past mistakes, fractured relationships, or hurtful memories. With an opportunity to start over, we can set aside old hurts and begin anew.  

 

Certainly, moving that often was hard on a little girl. There were several schools where the kids didn’t accept me and made life miserable. However, soon it would be time to move on, and in the next school, I would forge fresh new friendships. 

 

I learned a lot about perseverance in those difficult schools, lessons that proved valuable to me in later years. I also knew full well that I never had to face all those new schools alone. My parents were my refuge, my ever-present source of strength and encouragement. When I had a bad day at a new school, I knew Mama would be waiting for me at the bus stop with open arms and a kiss on the cheek. I knew Daddy would come home for supper, and the three of us would talk and laugh together. No matter how hard a day I had, being with them made it all OK. We were a tight team, the bonds that held us together unbreakable. Things might be good at the new school, things might be bad, but as long as I had my faithful, adoring parents, all would be right with the world.

 

Perhaps you have been dwelling in hard circumstances, mired in situations that bring you grief, steal your joy, challenge your strength. Know that no matter where you find yourself, you never walk alone. God promises to walk with you, to never leave you, nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). 

 

God is our strength, our shield, our ever-present refuge In times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). Let your quivering hand find His steady one. Let your hesitant feet step forward and leave the hurt of the past behind. Today is a new day, full of new possibilities. Embrace this day, this new year, with hope, trusting that God will walk with you into every new situation. Hardships will happen. Disappointments will arise. Yet, no matter where or when trouble strikes, rest assured that you never have to face your challenges alone.

 

Friends, a new year is upon us, a chance to start over, to begin again. There is freedom in the promise of new possibilities. Will you embrace the good plans God has in store for you this year? Will you move forward, allowing Him to guide you, to direct your path?

 

It’s a new day at the beginning of a new year. It’s time to pack up and make a move. Are you ready? Let’s start over! 

 

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“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

Psalm 37:23-24 – NIV

 

PRAYER

O Good, Good Father, thank You for the chance to begin again. Help us to lean in and let go of past hurts and disappointments.. Your ways are good, and Your. Plans are perfect, even if we cannot see them fully from this vantage point. Let Your strong and steady hand guide us as we walk with You into this new day of this new Year. Help us to start over.

In the Strong and Steady Name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen

 

New Year’s Blessings,

Anita

 

-APS 1/13/2025