{"id":698,"date":"2020-04-14T06:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T06:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/?p=698"},"modified":"2023-07-06T17:59:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T17:59:55","slug":"a-new-beginning-is-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/14\/a-new-beginning-is-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Beginning Is Coming…"},"content":{"rendered":"

A New Beginning Is Coming\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cBrothers and sister, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Philippians 3:13-14<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

a few thoughts that have been drifting about\u2026<\/p>\n

Any way you look at it the past few weeks have been challenging.  Not everyone has been affected in the same way.  Many of us miss gathering for worship.  Others are lonely because of the separation from family.  Some have lost jobs\u2026others are having to work 20 hour shifts.  Teachers are missing students and those students are missing their friends. Church buildings are empty\u2026schools are closed…retail stores closed\u2026restaurants are take out only.<\/p>\n

But\u2026there is another side to this coin.  Parents are learning to appreciate teachers in a whole new way.  Fellowship among Christians is now appreciated rather than taken for granted.  Families are spending more time together than ever before.  Games are being played\u2026puzzles put together\u2026bike rides being taken\u2026closets being purged and readied to share. His Church is expanding beyond the walls.<\/p>\n

Then\u2026we have families that are struggling because there is one parent trying to \u201cdo it all\u201d.  Tensions that were manageable before are boiling over.  Choices are having to be made\u2026electricity or gas?  Car payment or insurance?  Food or prescriptions?<\/p>\n

hard for some\u2026harder for others\u2026and impossible for many of us to imagine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard it said when \u201cthis\u201d is over\u2026life as we know it will be different.  Our country will have changed.  Personally, I hope so.  Here are some changes I pray take place\u2026<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. We value family relationships<\/strong> and continue to spend quality time with one another. Time spent together without outside \u201cnoise\u201d intruding on those moments when true memories are made.<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. We embrace fellowship<\/strong> with our Christian friends. Fellowship that extends beyond the walls of the building and becomes a part of our daily lives.  A mingling of families sharing dinners together, playing cards, getting to know one another on deeper levels.  Our children learning these are important relationships to develop.<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. We seek out those who have struggled<\/strong> and comfort them with not only words but actions. We truly show the love of our Father.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. We speak respectfully about our educators<\/strong>. We treat teachers and administration in such a way that shows our children and others that even when we do not agree with something, we understand they are doing the best they can. <\/em><\/li>\n
  5. We learn that quiet time is an important part of life<\/strong> and we must know how to \u201cBE STILL\u201d. Being still is a time to reflect about our life, our situation and things we see around us.  We all need quiet in our lives\u2026and we need to use that time wisely.<\/em><\/li>\n
  6. We continue to Study His Word and Share His Word<\/strong> as liberally as we have done during this time.<\/em><\/li>\n
  7. We do not stop making those phone calls<\/strong> and checking on those who are alone or struggling.<\/em><\/li>\n
  8. We don\u2019t forget the healing power of touch<\/strong>. We show empathy. We show love.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A couple of years ago I wrote down a few things I wanted to focus on in the coming year.  Here\u2019s my list from then and it works just as well now\u2026in these circumstances.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pleasing in your sight: Let decisions be made that will please God<\/strong>.  From friendships to attitudes towards the \u201chustle and bustle\u201d and my tendency to sometimes get frustrated when things don\u2019t go my way<\/em><\/li>\n
    2. Make room for more: Look around, find someone who needs me<\/strong>.  This doesn\u2019t have to be the homeless person on the street corner.  Look in a nursing home, look in the hospitals, look down the street, look on my pew.  Find someone \u2013 make room.<\/em><\/li>\n
    3. Let it go<\/strong>:  This time will end.  Start fresh.  Think about the good, the bad and the ugly.  Focus on the good.  Finish this time strong.  Don\u2019t let hurts or disappointments interrupt my joy.  Forgive<\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n
    4. Keep building<\/strong>:  Determine what has been done right.  Think about what can be done better \u2013 trash the rest.  Build on the positive.  Go into the future fresh with a clear perspective of what and who I want to be.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      These are just rambling thoughts that have been rolling around in my head the past few days.  What are your thoughts?  What are you learning from this pandemic of 2020?  How can it impact your life\u2026for good?<\/p>\n

      A new start\u2026A new beginning\u2026It’s coming, let\u2019s be ready.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Listen to His Voice,<\/p>\n

      Lee Ann<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A New Beginning Is Coming\u2026 \u201cBrothers and sister, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 a few thoughts that have been drifting about\u2026 Any way you look at it the past few weeks have been challenging.  Not everyone has been affected in the same way.  Many of us miss gathering for worship.  Others are lonely because of the separation from family.  Some have lost jobs\u2026others are having to work 20 hour shifts.  Teachers are missing students and those students are missing their friends. Church buildings are empty\u2026schools are closed…retail stores closed\u2026restaurants are take out only. But\u2026there is another side to this coin.  Parents are learning to appreciate teachers in a whole new way.  Fellowship among Christians is now appreciated rather than taken for granted.  Families are spending more time together than ever before.  Games are being played\u2026puzzles put together\u2026bike rides being taken\u2026closets being purged and readied to share. His Church is expanding beyond the walls. Then\u2026we have families […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[93,249,137,101,68,94,172,104,136,99,121,74,69,30,78],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-anchoredinhim","tag-covid-19","tag-gracefilledhope","tag-liveloved","tag-shelteredingrace","tag-shelteredingrace-bible-sheltered-loved","tag-storms","tag-trustandobey","tag-wisdom","tag-emotions","tag-faith","tag-grace","tag-hope","tag-journey","tag-redemption"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shelteredingrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/img_1566.jpg?fit=2048%2C1152&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1880,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions\/1880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}