New beginnings and fresh starts

Here is my Spiritual Life column for today's edition of the Ilford Recorder:

Christianity is a faith which is all about new beginnings and fresh starts. Sometimes it is characterised by others as being a guilt trip but what Christianity actually teaches about guilt is to do with acknowledging our fallibilities in order to be honest with God so that forgiveness can by received and change implemented. The word we use for this is repentance which means a complete turn-around in our lives, a fresh start and a new beginning.
 

The start of a New Year is also about the potential for a fresh start and a new beginning. That is, in part, why we celebrate at New Year and why we make New Year's resolutions. The problem, of course, is that we all carry over into the New Year the issues and challenges that we experienced in the old year. If we weren't able to do in the old year the thing that we are now resolving to do in the New Year, simply moving from one year to the next is unlikely to be enough to enable us to make our resolution stick.
 

For Christians, though, we are not on our own when it comes to change. God's Spirit is within to help us make and maintain changes in our lives and (hopefully) our local Christian community or Church are also there to back us up and support us as we change.

Change is actually happening all the time, in us and to us. Change is normal, because we all need fresh starts and new beginnings all the time. This New Year, why not ask God for his help in making a fresh start and seek support from others around you, including your local Church?

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The Relatives - We Need Love.