Why You Shouldn’t Wait for the New Year to Start Fresh

Advent is the perfect time to start fresh. This is the time of year where we celebrate God coming to earth, and initiating an entirely new era for His people. We rejoice over the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. People are being healed, rescued and saved. The God of creation is starting something fresh and new. This is what we are celebrating once we get past the wreaths, the shopping and the stress.

This is why you shouldn’t look at December as the end of the year. Take a minute to consider the nature of truth about Christmas and advent, and you will begin to see the beauty of reframing it. Now, you can open your eyes to viewing December and Advent as catalysts. As elegant launching points for a fresh start.

Ancient Inspiration

This is an ancient perspective. For those of us who didn’t grow up in a liturgical church, it may seem new, but Advent is the traditional starting point of the church’s liturgical calendar. Advent is at the very beginning of what we celebrate throughout the year. It is where God is inviting us to start fresh, looking forward into next year.

We celebrate by putting up decorations with the words, joy, hope and love. But those three fruits of The Spirit don’t randomly appear. Christmas is an invitation to sow seeds of love, to sow seeds of hope, and to sow seeds of joy. And, as we become more like Jesus, we will also reap the fruit of joy, hope, and love in the years to come.

Creative Seeds

As creative professionals and artists, we can take time to reflect on our own work. How is our work sowing seeds of love? But I don’t mean this in a sappy way. The love of God includes an overarching idea that includes justice, faithfulness, courage, protection, discipline, and sacrifice. With that grand view of love, ask yourself if your art is echoing this idea of love? Are you sowing seeds of love in the imagination of your patrons, fans and colleagues?

Write down that question and let it simmer in your imagination this week. Let it drive you to start this liturgical year contemplating what you need to sow now, so that the fruit of your creative labor echoes the joy, hope, and love of Jesus’ birth. Your creative work may be subtle and nuanced, or it may be overt and provocative. Regardless, we should be praying about our talent, our creative work, and the fruit of our creative imagination.

Jesus’ Creative Purpose

Jesus crafted marvelous metaphors and parables. He was a craftsman not only as a carpenter, but as a wordsmith and an orator. He loved speaking in ways that provoked the Pharisees to wake from their religious stupor. He loved speaking in a way that was inviting the outcasts to come to repentance so they may find grace and forgiveness. He knew the goal He desired. He used his imagination and talent with purpose. As creatives, we should strive to imitate his creative process and purposes.

Don’t Just Read this, Start Afresh Now

Don’t just finish this article. Don’t just finish reading this and go on to your next email, or your next project. Stop right now. Take time to implement something in your life this month that will sow seeds of hope, love, and joy. Here are a few ideas:

– Start being more intentional about your spiritual life.
– Start journaling about what you are sowing, through your creative talents.
– Pray, and invite God to show you how you can honor Him more in your craft.
– Invite other artists and creatives to talk about the new year in this light.
– Sing with joy to God for His goodness.
– Give praise to God for all His blessings.
– Write notes to other people that will sow joy, hope, and love in them.

Take a minute and comment down below, what are you going to do to sow seeds of joy, hope, and love this month as you celebrate advent?

A Devotional on New Beginnings and Fresh Starts

And…in case you are not on our email list,
I have included below part of our weekly devotional on starting fresh:
We can start fresh every day because God’s mercies are fresh every day.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
– Lamentations 3:22-24

Every morning is a fresh start.
The Sun rises.
Warmth arrives through the morning.
Animals emerge to a new adventure.

Every day welcomes you to a new creative adventure.
Anxieties of yesterday are done.
The past is shrinking in the rear-view mirror.
And now you wake up to…
– A fresh canvas
– A fresh paper
– A fresh studio

An opportunity to be whimsical
An opportunity to be grateful.
An opportunity to be vulnerable
An opportunity to be creative.

God is also inviting you to a new day in your spiritual life.
An opportunity to walk in faith.
An opportunity to surrender your fears to Him.
An opportunity to thank Him for the grace He has already given you for today.
An opportunity to rejoice in your salvation, sanctification and eventually…glorification.

You are a work in progress, being molded by God.
As you mold and shape the creative work before you today.
Don’t lose that grand perspective.
He is singing over you.

Ask God what He is doing in your life right now,
And where He wants to lead you today.
Just as you discover where your creative talents will lead your work.

The masterpiece will be revealed in due time.

 Copyright © 2024 Joel & Michelle Pelsue. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

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