A New Beginning

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19

            He lay amid the pile of colorful beanbags, his face turned towards the wall.

            “It was a rough day,” his teacher told me. “But we got through it.”

            Kneeling beside him, she said, “Mom’s here, Benjamin.”

            From the pile of beanbags came a grunt and a sniff.

            “Why don’t you go home and forget all about the things that upset you today? Tomorrow’s a brand-new day with a fresh start.”

            Slowly, Benjamin turned to look at her. His scowl betrayed his true feelings, yet in his eyes sparked a glimmer of hope.

            “A new day, a new start,” his teacher repeated.

            With a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Benjamin pushed himself to his feet, grabbed his backpack, then made a beeline for the door. Nodding my thanks to the teacher, I followed him out, her words churning in my mind.

            A new beginning. A clean slate. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? An opportunity to stop dwelling on the past and focus, instead, on what’s ahead. A chance to shrug off the disheartening and embrace a more hopeful outlook.

            Sadly, I have met many parents carrying a burden of false guilt, believing they either did something wrong during the pregnancy or after the delivery, leading to their child’s disability; parents living in a wasteland of “what ifs” and “if onlys,” wishing they could undo the past.
           In her devotional book, Finding a Treasure, author Tracy Breland, shares her own experience. "The idea of having a child with any complications was overwhelming enough, but it was followed by waves of guilt... I was really convinced without a doubt that I was to blame for my baby Caroline's diagnosis of Down syndrome." (1)
            So much time and joy are wasted, dredging up the past. It’s time to shut the door on former things and move beyond the regrets and haunting remorse. Lay those self-recriminations at the foot of the cross and leave them there. God yearns for us to embrace the plans he has for each one of us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). He wants us to move forward, knowing he has gone ahead of us to prepare the way.

God will never lead where he doesn’t precede. Some days through green pastures and some days through the valley. And though, at times, our path may steer us through dry and weary land, God will provide streams in the desert, evidence of his loving care. 

(1) Tracy Breland, Finding a Treasure: 101 Devotions for Parents of Special Children (Tulsa, OK: Mountz Media & Publishing, 2010), 7.