Four Keys to Personal Rebirth in the New Year
It only makes sense to begin a new year with a new attitude, a new way of seeing the world, and more importantly, a new way of being. As we enter into the new year, I’d like to present to you a four-step approach that will begin the process of re-birth.
1. Hope: We all must have hope. Not just wishing for hope but to truly experience hope, to have hope in your heart no matter what life may throw your way. If you lose hope, you lose vitality in life, you stop thriving and are only surviving. It is the power of hope in your life that makes all the difference. Hope is the belief that life gets better. When we have hope we can’t help but to share it with others and to share it with the world.
2. Peace: Do you have peace in your life? Are you at peace with yourself? The key to living a peaceful life is to be at peace with yourself. You truly can live your life in peace. The bible tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, instead pray about everything, knowing that the peace of God will guard your heart and thoughts”. When you center your mind on our Creator, and stop thinking about stressful things, then you will begin to be filled with the Peace of Christ that passes all understanding. Christ prayed and meditated every day. He was in full communion with His heavenly Father. Through prayer and meditation, we too can make peace with where we are in life. Acceptance is key to finding and living in a peaceful state of mind. Trust that God has a plan for you, trust that you are going to be ok. Learn to let go of all the fear, anxiety, and the details of life, and center your thoughts on higher things, and you will be blessed with an abundance of peace.
3. Love: Love is what makes life full. Why do we sometimes withhold love from others? I’m sure you can come up with a hundred reasons, but I challenge you with this simple concept: There is nothing holding us back from giving or receiving love. And that includes loving ourselves. It’s time to forgive. To forgive others and to forgive ourselves. If you want to live a life filled with love, then letting go of past hurts or mistakes is essential. Stop concerning yourself about what others may think. It’s your life and you should live it to the fullest. Love is a beautiful gift. Listen to your heart and follow it and love without reserve. I encourage you to love more freely. It’s time to be more compassionate, to step away for all the division and to enter into a state of Divine love. To love all without exception equals true love. This is the kind of love that Christ gave to the world, and we can do the same. We need to increase our awareness of the power of love, to bless everyone, to radiate love throughout the world. This is Divine love, and we have the ability to live within this type of love and to gift it to the world.
4. Joy: I love the word joy. Just saying the word makes me happy. Never lose your joy no matter what hardships come your way. Keep your joy, keep your laughter, it’s so powerful. Think of a newborn baby. We often call babies “A bundle of Joy” and that’s because they are. Babies have no jobs, no money, no important titles, and yet they giggle and smile and their eyes shine with the light of pure joy. Being around them makes us lighthearted and happy. When we see a baby, why do we automatically begin to speak “Baby talk to them?” it’s because we are in the presence of pure joy, and innocence, and it makes us happy. Joy is a powerful thing my friends, and we must never lose it. Joy will keep the spark of life alive inside you.
My prayer for you this New Year is to be filled with an abundance of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy, and that you use these gifts to uplift yourself and the world.
Yours in Light and Love, Pastor Christine Haggerty