Happy New Year! 2025 is here. I have to say I’m really excited about this year, more so than last year or the year before. My son reckons it is because this year is a multiple of five. Read from that what you will. I’m not entirely sure why to be honest, but then, if I am on God’s side, why shouldn’t I be excited?

For a number of years, I have been reading through the Bible in one year, starting every new year. As such, at the start of every year, there is the fulfilment of having read through the entire Bible, as well as the joy of rediscovering the Bible all over again. The beauty of the Bible being the Living Word of God is that even though I have read it a number of times, I still learn something new every single time I undertake that journey of discovery through its pages. I will encourage you, if you haven’t done so already, to read through the Bible from cover to cover. Please do so, not just to see how it applies to your life today (which, while helpful, is not the primary purpose of the Bible), but to discover God Himself, to get to know His character, His ways, His methods, Him. It is indeed a journey worth taking.

And so, as I began that journey again yesterday, the verse that jumped out at me was the first part of the very first verse, “In the beginning, God created…”. Hence the title of this post. This was obviously referring to God’s creation of Heaven and Earth, but it struck me that the very first thing God was recorded as doing in the Bible was creating. God is a creator, a magnificent one at that, unrivalled in His creative ability. We only have to look at ourselves, at nature, at the world He formed, to attempt to grasp just how magnificent a creator He is.

As I reflected on this, I asked myself, it is the beginning of a year, if I want to emulate my Heavenly Father, what am I creating? It’s a question you can ask yourself too. Sometimes we wish or hope for things, but we don’t step from the realm of wishing to the realm of creating, and this sadly means that things don’t change much. Remember that prior to God creating, the earth was “without form and void”. And it would have stayed that way if God did not begin the creation process.

Now there are various tangible things you may be thinking of creating, but what really came to mind for me was the creation of the kind of atmosphere I want to have in 2025. Chances are you might have received or sent ‘Happy New Year’ messages to people wishing them a peaceful year, or a joyful year, or a fruitful year. However, the truth is that those are not things that magically just happen. Besides, God is not a genie that grants us three wishes. If we want our lives and our homes to be peaceful, joyful, fruitful or any other good thing we desire, then there are things we need to do to create such an atmosphere. And that is why I have chosen to  focus on this for my very first blog post of the year.

Personally, I want to intentionally create a peaceful, joyful life and home. I’m also painfully aware that life circumstances and people won’t always make that goal easy. However, that is why I have to be intentional about it. So, what do I intend to do to make this goal a reality?

– Studying God’s Word and praying are non-negotiables. Prayer and God’s Word change us from the inside out. Moreover, the source of true peace and joy is God (John 14:27, Romans 14:17, James 1:17). Especially in those really stormy times, the presence of Jesus in our boat will be the only thing that keeps our peace and joy intact. I have quoted this definition from Kay Warren a number of times and I’ll quote it again here, because I believe it is true, and a useful reminder of how to hold on to joy: “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.”

– Having an attitude of gratitude, a focus on God and where He is at work is invaluable. Psalm 34:5(BSB) says “Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.” Psalm 145:5 (ESV) says “On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.” Psalm 105:5 (ESV) encourages us to “remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He uttered.”

– Remembering that even the people I find difficult are people that God loves, that I need to see people with grace-filled eyes, and that it is important to see what I do for anyone as something done for Jesus. As Jesus says, whatever we do for even the least of His brothers and sisters, we do it for Him (Matthew 25:40). Also bearing in mind that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12, BSB). The devil is not exactly known as a lover of peace and joy. As such, we need to be watchful and mindful that he will do all he can to destroy what we create in line with God’s will, including even using the people closest to us. He did that at the very beginning, trying to destroy the good world God created, so what makes us think he won’t attempt the same with us? (Genesis 3, 1 Peter 5:8).

I have written a blog on the fragility of joy, which you may find helpful to read. The truth is that there will be times in our lives when it may be difficult to maintain that peaceful and joyful atmosphere we are working so hard to create. It could be someone who decides to start an argument with you, or someone who does something to annoy you or hurt you. Perhaps they said something on social media, or to a friend, that was a passive aggressive dig at you. Or something that did not go as you planned, or was not done as you expected. One question I have found helpful to ask when a threat to my peace or joy is lurking around the corner is ‘Is this person or thing worth losing my peace of mind, or the peace of my home for?’; ‘Is this person or thing worth losing my joy over?’ The answer to that question should guide our next steps. Someone once said that unless an issue is destiny altering, then it is best not to react to it. I also still remember someone mentioning during a sermon, that they had heard of a pastor who had decided to become unoffendable. I’m not there yet, but I am working to get there one day, by God’s very special grace.

I should emphasise that true peace does not mean completely avoiding conflict all the time. Rather it is about having the wisdom and discernment to pick our battles. This is one lesson I am in the process of learning. Not every slight or insult or grievance needs a response. There is also a beauty in trusting God to handle certain situations. In Luke 12:57-59, Jesus highlights the wisdom of seeking peace with our adversaries before things escalate. You might say, ‘that’s not always possible’, and I agree. However, as Romans 12:18(ESV) says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” I like that it has those two caveats, “if possible”, and “so far as it depends on you.” The key here though is being honest about ‘the possibility’, and the part that depends on us. What I have found is that the more I grow as a Christian, the more the realm of possibility and the part that depends on me seems to expand. Almost as if by magic!

However, despite our best efforts, there will likely be times when we will fall. When that happens, remember that after God created, He saw that what He created was good, and very good (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). Two things stand out to me about the Bible taking out time to repeat this over and over again, bearing in mind that Genesis is a very condensed book. One is that, at the end of each ‘day’ of creation, God acknowledged His creation/His efforts, as good. On the days we succeed in creating that atmosphere of peace and joy, we should acknowledge and thank God for those days, not take them for granted. The second thing is that, God did not say what He created was perfect, but good and very good.

That you fall does not mean you are hopeless or can never get it right. No. They say the enemy of good is not ‘bad,’ it is perfect. Acknowledge that you are a human, and as such, are bound to make mistakes. God sees your heart. Ask for forgiveness if and where necessary. Understand what caused the lapse and work on recognising it in advance and doing better in the future.

As I was writing this, I thought about the caveat investment companies give, informing prospective investors that sometimes there will be gains, but there are also times when there will be losses. The people who understand this are the people that can maintain their cool when there is a dip in their investment portfolio. The people who don’t understand this, and unrealistically always expect their investments to yield profits only without any losses at all, are the ones who will struggle to maintain an investment portfolio long term. Again, “wisdom is profitable to direct” (Ecclesiastes 10:10b, KJV). In Luke 14:28 (BSB), Jesus says “Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?” This is not to discourage us from creating or building, but rather, to allow us to prepare adequately, and to understand that there will be challenges and costs involved. As such, we would do well to be mindful of these.

I pray that as we reflect on this, we will go into 2025 with an intentional, proactive mindset or working hand-in-hand with God to create what we want to see in our lives this year, always in line with God’s will, plans and purposes. With God’s help, may those wishes for a peaceful, joyful 2025 not remain as wishes in our lives and homes, but as that which will be our reality in 2025, and a cause to give great thanks to God at the end of the year. Amen and Amen!

Image source here.