One certainty about life I have learned over my many years is that nothing remains static on this side of heaven. As I typed in the title for this blog, “New Beginnings,” the thought occurred to me, (perhaps it is the reminder from english class), that the words “new” and “beginnings” written together are, in fact, redundant. I will let you, the reader, figure this one out (smiling). But to play on these words, I would like to express how new beginnings represent a cyclical pattern called, life.
First, I want to thank you for joining me on my new blog. If you would like to know more about me, please visit my webpage. In this space, my desire is to write about topics that touch all of our lives and that I have experienced personally, such as love, death, Alzheimer’s Disease, and most importantly, faith in Jesus Christ. As we explore these subjects, I hope and pray that my words will bring comfort and encouragement and perhaps even a laugh or two when viewed through a biblical perspective.
Second, writing is the arena where God has called me to express my thoughts and feelings about how each day is affected by the experiences we have and the choices we make in response to them. While experiences, either good or bad are not always the result of one’s own actions, choosing how to respond to our circumstances falls squarely upon the shoulders of each one of us, and the outcome, like falling dominoes will have a ripple affect.
Chess is not a game I learned to play, and although it would make for a much more eloquent example, I’ll refer to checkers instead. In the game of checkers, two opponents face off by moving their “men” across the board until one declares victory by overtaking the opponents men and replacing them with their own. Each move requires thought and strategy. In daily living, from the moment you and I open our eyes each morning until we close them at night, we are faced with the challenge of moving throughout the course of the day; an exercise we rarely think about. Some of our movements will be initiated by us and some will be a re-action to another action. At the end of each day, our thoughtfulness and strategic maneuvers will determine how we feel as we reflect; will we have fully “lived” another twenty-four hours, or only barely survived?
“We make our plans but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:19, NLT). Our God is the Maker and Giver of new beginnings. With this platform, Sherry’s Corner, I hope you will meet me here to join in the “journey of life.” As a fellow sojourner, I find the adventure is more than the outcome; it is the journey itself.
Onward with eyes looking upward!
Sherry
