Sarah D. Shearer

While I do not believe there is anything inherently magical about stepping into a new year, I am looking forward to this new season with excitement and expectation. Call me campy, but I like to pray for a word each year, something to focus and a way for me to look for the Lord’s hand in my life. 2020’s word was settle, and I feel like God gave me a supernatural ability to settle into married life, into our home, and into being pregnant for one million weeks. Was I ever not pregnant?? Did my jeans ever button??

This year though, I keep hearing the word help. Not like an SOS, out-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean-screaming-for -a-life-raft kind of help, but Help as a noun, a Person. As I step into motherhood in 6 short weeks, I’m going to need lots of help. And if you know me, you know I do not like receiving help. I would much rather struggle and figure something out on my own than ask for help. “I can do it myself” is one of my life mottos. I’ve got this. Stay away. I don’t need you…etc.

But this year, the Lord has been softening my heart toward receiving help. For instance, I now let the guy at Publix drive my cart out and load my car. This is HUGE. Also I am huge right now, so I need the help, lol.

When I read Psalm 46, it says that God is our refuge and very present help in times of trouble. It doesn’t say he helps those who help themselves or that he offers assistance as needed, but that He IS our help.

My prayer is that this year I would learn to depend on God in a totally new and much deeper way. When I am overwhelmed and feeling like I am at the end of my rope, may my first instinct to be total trust and remembrance that Jesus is my help. He is all sufficient for me and for you, my friend.

Whatever you have faced over the past several months, you are cared for and your help is secure. You are not enough, despite what the woke, feel good millennials will tell you. You are needy and insuficient and your grace runs out quickly. But you are not alone! As Charles Spurgeon stated, “‘I have a great need for Christ: I have a great Christ for my need.”

If you are like me, maybe this is the year to give up the whole pride thing. The whole, “stay away, let me suffer alone over here and feel good about myself in some sick sort of way” mood. I’ve got more on my plate this year than I can handle, but I am no orphan. I have a loving father and He has given me ample support on earth.

Let’s work on learning to receive kindness and generosity and love from others, and most importantly let our focus be on Jesus as our source, for he is a well that will never run dry, and we run dry oh so quickly.

happy new year!!

-sarah