Shedding In the New Year

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”— Lamentations 3:22-23

My dog sheds like crazy.

When I decided to get a dog, I did not realize the amount of hair she would produce and how it would cling to her skin in little white clumps, only to be shaken, rubbed, licked, or bounced off. Despite frequent vacuuming, I find little remnants of her hair everywhere, which I look at with both fondness and frustration. Shedding is a bothersome activity for me, but undoubtedly makes her feel groovy in her ever-changing coat.

Though we do not have fur coats, I realize the many things that we as humans shed, sometimes on a daily basis. I think of our “throw-away” society, one in which we accumulate things and stuff and then discard at a whim when we tire of it. We consume, and try on, and engage with any and all varieties of things, be it actual physical products, social media, relationships, or anything else we can get our hands on. We shed skin cells, old clothes, relationships, bad habits, and any number of things to make life better.

I have been in the process of shedding as well. I embarked on a 5 week-long grueling kitchen cabinet refinishing project these last weeks, shedding old stuff, old fixtures, junk in the basement, papers and old magnets. My trash cans told the story of my shedding.

With the new year, my shedding continues… I am shedding some activities I have been a part of for several years, to make way for more time to try new ones or pick up things that I really want to do. And one of those things is to make more time for this blog again…

I have realized there are things I need to lay down to make more time for God’s presence in my life. Perhaps there are things in your life you need to shed as well, to make time for your spiritual life. I would like to focus more this year on hearing God’s voice, how about you?

God promises that His mercies are new every morning. Today is a morning to take Him up on that. What will you shed today to make room for Him in your life? He is a gracious and merciful God, and waits for all of us with open arms, to discover the loving warmth of His presence. Won’t you join Him today?

Prayer— “God of all mercies, come into my life anew today. Help me shed the attitudes, behaviors, and things that get in the way of being with You. Order my day so that I might make You a priority. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”