Resurge

A new year brings with it new beginnings...thus a fresh start to blogging my journey.

I am captivated by stories of new beginnings and I'm currently reading a book about a great come back story. Josh Hamilton's biography Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back outlines his entry into professional baseball as the number one draft pick in 1999 and his fall to drugs and alcohol in 2002 followed by his resurgence as center fielder with the Texas Rangers. I was fortunate to hear Josh speak live at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta this past year (where I also got him to autograph my book and a baseball!). One of the things that struck me about Josh's testimony was what his focus was on while he was struggling with the drugs and alcohol. He spoke of being able to move through that challenging time in his life by keeping his mind fixed on the vision that lay ahead of him. He knew that he needed a fresh start and he was able to get it by focusing on the promising future that God had in front of him.

I wonder if that is the same focus Nehemiah had in his story. The news he received of Jerusalem's walls being destroyed (Nehemiah 1:3) was certainly disappointing, depressing, and challenging. His initial reaction was to mourn, fast, and pray (Nehemiah 1:4) and I wonder if it was during this time that God began to give him vision that allowed him to move through this challenging time and eventually return to Jerusalem and lead the surge to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.

What is it we focus on during our most challenging times in life? Is it the challenge itself or is it the things that lie ahead for us? What does God have in front of us?