(ThyBlackMan.com) Dietrich Bonheoffer, in his book The Cost of Discipleship, writes “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
Like most things in American society, the New Year is becoming an object of ridicule and scorn among many people. These New Year ‘scoffers’ reason that if a person has not been sufficiently motivated to pursue their dreams in the current year, not much is going to change in the New Year. Point well received. But here’s the thing: every New Year is a possibility for a new beginning, a new perspective, a new start. The operative word is ‘possibility’; it’s possible that someone will take advantage and get their dreams back on track.
As long as we are connected to a Higher Power, as long as we believe that it’s bigger than us, it’s possible. That is why it is important to nurture our spiritual life and understand that, in the New Year, there is no turning back. In a sense, we ‘die’ to our fear, to our indecision and to our faithlessness.
On the cusp of this New Year, ask yourself: In what ways do you nourish your spiritual life? How do you experience life in the spirit?
In 2006, James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul” died of heart failure at the age of 73. In his will, Brown specifically named two groups as heirs to his 100 million dollar estate: his grandchildren and the needy children of Georgia and South Carolina. Notably, Brown’s will read that if he failed to provide for any other relatives, “such failure is intentional and not occasioned by accident or mistake.”
We have not been left out or left behind by God; we are right where we need to be for a prosperous experience in the New Year. What a wonderful thing indeed that our relationship with our God is not based on earthly arrangements!
That’s because, in the natural realm, an heir is a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person’s death, but, as believers, we are heirs to a different treasure. And, because of our relationship with God through Christ’s death, our “heirship” is never in doubt; therefore, we are never left out in the cold and we don’t have to look back!
We have been bought with a price, no longer slaves or minors, but inheritors of eternal life. As such, our heirship is marked by unique characteristics. It is marked first by a faithfulness that can only result in our success. It is an heirship that empowers us – in our weakness we are made strong. This strength comes from our sacred and devotional life in the spirit.
Being heirs of the Kingdom comes with a cost; we must be prepared to give up something. Once we become heirs to the Kingdom, there is no turning back! We can get up and keep moving, in spite of challenges the New Year may bring.
So, to the New Year naysayers, all you must do is show them the hand – be encouraged to pursue your dreams.
This is my prayer for you: God, help me to live in the sacred and devotional dimension of life as I mature in my faith. Help me to not give up on my dreams in the New Year. Help me to keep moving in the direction of my destiny. Amen.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.