Experiencing joy in the new year, amidst sorrow
Has the loss of someone dear to you left a perpetual hole in your heart? Have the consequences of your poor choices convinced you that you’re a hopeless loser?
If so, I have an encouraging verse to share with you: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is [his] faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV). If your grief or destructive choices make it hard for you to believe this verse, ask yourself: When my child is devastated by a tremendous loss, do I grow weary and close my eyes to their pain? When they disobey me, do I throw up my hands and walk away?
Of course not. Neither does our heavenly Father distance Himself when we need Him.
If I didn’t have the assurance of God’s grace if my husband or child were to die, I’d unravel. And if I feared God would withdraw even a fraction of His love when I disobey Him, I’d be emotionally destroyed.
I need to know, without a doubt, that God will always be there to fill every hole in my heart. That when I make a mess of my life, He will mercifully show me His plan – and assure me that He can and will still use me.
You, too, need to know that God’s love is unwavering. You, too, need to know God’s mercies will never end and will greet us every morning, day after day, after (sometimes) a painful and disappointing day.
Some of you have been devastated by such grief and disappointment that I can only begin to imagine your pain, especially if you’re feeling distant from God. You long to experience the “Emmanuel, God with us” you heard about this past Christmas.
Would you, one more time, in the midst of your sorrow, ask God to reveal Himself to you?
I want you to experience the same love and mercy as He has shown many of us. When life is too much to bear… God’s grace, power and mercy are real. Allow Him to prove it to you.
This is what the Gospel message is all about.
If this is your first (or your 51st) new year without a loved one, I pray you’ll be comforted by the only Love that will never cease. If you wish you could join others in saying “Happy New Year!” and mean it, but you can’t because you dread another “loser” year, I hope you’ll find consolation in remembering that God’s mercy will never come to an end…
… even for you.
Sheryl H. Boldt, a Franklin County resident, is a faith columnist and the author of the blog www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. You can reach her at SherylHBoldt@gmail.com.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.