Good Morning! It's a New Year!

A warm day in November 2013

It’s a new year, a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future, to learn from experiences and seek God’s guidance for those to come. In January 2013, my family and I finally moved back downstairs after two months of the seven of us living in a ten-foot square space. When the Post-Sandy gutting and de-molding was finished, we didn’t care that we didn’t have a kitchen, a bathroom, doors, or finished floors—we had space to breathe again.

Sometimes, as weeks passed, I felt thankful, but my mood would often swing from frustrated to angry to guilty back to hopeful. The next day I might wake up depressed and anxious, wondering if life would ever feel normal again. I had wanted to start a blog for a long time, and thought, “Why not now since my life is a disorganized mess? A blog would be a great escape.” It was the right time, but I couldn’t decide on the right title. On my own, I wrote pages of bad ideas, but one morning I prayed for inspiration. As I rode my bike to work against the wind, a song played in my head, the same song that cheered me up every morning as I battled the breeze and the trek uphill over the bridge: “Good Morning” by Mandisa. I didn’t know all the words, but the chorus and the message always made me hopeful. Every day begins with a new morning, full of opportunities to see God’s goodness. I needed a new outlook, God’s view of my life. “It’s a New Morning” was just what I wanted to share in a blog.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

I hope these lyrics to Mandisa’s song lift you up. As you begin this new year, remember the hope He has given us: it’s not just a new morning, but a new life in Him for eternity.

“Good Morning”

By Mandisa

Wave away my yesterday

Cause I’m leaving it behind me.

Hello sunshine, come what may.

I feel something new inside me.

I hear the birds singing

Now my alarm’s ringing

Get up, get up, hey!

It’s a good morning!

Wake up to a brand new day

This morning,

I’m stepping, stepping on my way

Good morning,

You give me strength,

You give me just what I need

And I can feel the hope that’s rising in me.

It’s a good morning

Now I’m smiling and I’m kissing all my worries goodbye

Got the feeling, if I spread my wings, I might even fly

You are my truth, my way

Give me the strength to say

Get up, get up, get up

Cause it’s a good morning, hey!

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