God Has Prepared Me for a Fresh Start

In Colossians 2:10 I read, “You have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.” (TLB)

If I’m ready to make a fresh start, I need to take a personal inventory. That means I take stock of and evaluate what I’ve got to work with. When I do a personal inventory, ask myself these three questions:

First, what are my assets? Look at my physical, educational, and financial assets. And remember my spiritual assets as a child of God. Colossians 2:10 says, “You have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power” (TLB).

Second, what have I learned?

Take time to write down lessons I’ve learned about life, myself, family, God, whatever I can think of. Galatians 3:4 says, “Did all your experience mean nothing at all?” (GNT) I won’t waste my experiences if I learn from them.

Especially pay attention to the painful ones, because God never wastes a hurt. Instead of having a pity party, learn from my pain. Write down the lessons. Stop regretting and rehearsing my mistakes and start learning from them. Why? Because innovation is always built on failure. It’s how I recognize what doesn’t work.

I can also review what Bible teaching has taught me. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:14, “You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you” (NLT).

Lastly, who can help me in my fresh start?

Proverbs 15:22 says, “Get all the advice you can, and you will succeed; without it you will fail” (GNT).

Pride often keeps me from reaching dreams and goals where instead of asking for advice, I insist on figuring things out myself.

The Bible says pride leads to destruction. It also says that God gives grace to the humble. Why? Because the humble are teachable. I’ll never have a fresh start if I act like I’ve already arrived. I need other people to speak the truth, point out my blind spots, encourage me, and help me remember God’s promises.

When I take a thorough, honest inventory of my life, I’ll see how God has prepared me to make a fresh start.

In summary, I have everything when I have Christ, and I am filled with God through my union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. So if I’m ready to make a fresh start, I need to take a personal inventory and take stock of and evaluate what I’ve got to work with. Start by asking myself these three questions: First, what are my assets? Look at my physical, educational, and financial assets. And remember my spiritual assets as a child of God. Second, what have I learned? Take time to write down lessons I’ve learned about life, myself, family, God, whatever I can think of. I won’t waste my experiences if I learn from them. Pay attention to the painful ones, because God never wastes a hurt. Learn from my pain. Write down the lessons. Stop regretting and rehearsing my mistakes. Review what Bible teaching has taught me. Lastly, look for who can help me in my fresh start? Get all the advice I can. Pride often keeps me from reaching dreams and goals where instead of asking for advice, I insist on figuring things out myself. Pride leads to destruction. God gives grace to the humble and the humble are teachable. I’ll never have a fresh start if I act like I’ve already arrived. I need other people to speak the truth, point out my blind spots, encourage me, and help me remember God’s promises. When I take a thorough, honest inventory, I’ll see how God has prepared me to make a fresh start.

As I look around, others are searching for something to give their lives a boost. Few people seem content within themselves. A strange and often hard-to-identify inner vacuum gives most an uneasy sense of incompleteness. Christ fills that vacuum! As Jesus' person is fully divine, so we, united by faith to Jesus, find personal fulfillment in him: "I am complete through my union with Christ."