Greetings and Welcome to 2023!

As my husband and I closed out 2022 with much traveling and wonderful time with our family during Thanksgiving and Christmas, my thoughts turned to the hopefulness that 2023 offers us all. I read an article in DaySpring (December 19, 2022) by Roy Lessin, “Receiving What God Has for You in the New Year.” One of the points made by Mr. Lessin hit home with me: The beginning of the new year is a time to let go of “old hurts, wounds, or disappointments.” Holding on to these things can cause us to go through “bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness,” which are things not worth holding on to for another year. Mr. Lessin also provided five clear calls to action: “Be available, Be Dependent, Be Faithful, Be Grateful, and Be Confident,” which reminds me that we all need to let go of what is not serving us so we can focus on being more intentional with God’s plans for our lives.

What do each of these calls to action look like for you? Lessin says when you are leaning in to being available, “Be a yielded vessel available for everyday use, occasional use, or to be set aside for special occasions. The Potter who formed you, knows best how to use you…and when!” To be dependent, “Be assured that you are totally in need of Him to be who He has called you to be, and to do what He asks you to do. Lean into His adequacy, life, and strength with 100 percent of your heart…that’s what thriving branches do when they’re in the vine.” While exercising faithfulness, “Your faith in the new year will be rewarded by Him. Seek His approval…live under His smile…stay with it…. Choose obedience over sacrifice. He is using you in more ways than you know.” To be grateful, “Live in the atmosphere of thankfulness…it’s one of the healthiest ways to live.” Lastly, to be confident, “You are God’s appointed servant. He knows how He has gifted and equipped you. He knows all He will do for you both now and in the future. He didn’t make a mistake regarding His giftings and His call upon your life, and He will never confuse you with someone else.” Let us not experience any hurts, wounds, or disappointments from last year but learn to remove our resentments and unforgiveness to receive what God has for us in the future.

Article: Ways to Experience His Joy This Year

I wanted to share an excerpt with you from this additional DaySpring article that resonated with me: “The word ‘joy’ appears in the Bible close to 200 times. It is abundantly clear that God wants us to allow this experience into our lives. But joy and happiness are two different things. Happiness is a feeling that can come from joy—but the contentment of experiencing true joy from God happens at a deeper level. Joy is found within the heart, and joyfulness is something He offers us as reward for our steadfastness.”

One of the takeaways from the article I wish to share is “create joy for others.” Think about this when you create joyfor others. Even a small gesture for a stranger like, “buying coffee for the person in line behind you may brighten their day far more than you know.” Bringing that unexpected happiness into a stranger’s life will no doubt usher in joy to your own life as you allow God to use you as a vessel of His love for us all.

DaySpring, Amber, January 2, 2023

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Yvette C.G. Stancil, Psy.D.

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