New Year’s Fireworks

When we first moved to Papua in December of 2012, I was quite surprised to see fireworks being sold in the remote highland town of Wamena. Dozens of stands popped up alongside the road where you could buy any kind of firework, for a price. And that New Year’s Eve was like none I had experienced before! The town was alive with glittering, sparkling fireworks. As midnight approached, the colorful display seemed to crescendo into a never-ending grand finale that would put to shame any fireworks show in the States!

A new year is a time for new beginnings. Some new beginnings come loud and brazen into our lives, like the Papuan fireworks of Wamena, and rock our world. Others creep softly in on cat-like paws so we scarcely know they’re there until we sense God’s gentle working. Where are you at the beginning of this new year? Is God doing a brazen new thing in your life? Are you experiencing some fireworks? Or is He quietly nudging you in areas He’s already been working?

I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but as January first rolled around, I began to ponder some areas in my life where I would like to make progress. I believe God is quietly nudging me to grow in the area of “finishing.” I tend to stop things in the hard places. If a book gets really sad, I’ll tend to put it down at that spot. If a long-term project (like organizing my office!) gets overwhelming, I’ll put it off. I want to grow in the confidence that what I am working on is truly what God wants me to be doing, and then focus on finishing it in His strength.

How about you? I’d love to hear about your New Year’s fireworks, or how God is gently challenging you to grow in 2015.