Breaking New Ground

Every year at the end of December, the leadership in my church chooses a new name or theme for the coming year.  Last year was "The Year of Advancement",  and in 2010 we had "The Year of Prophecy".  This has been ongoing for many years.  I always eagerly await to hear what each new year will be called and accept it as a prophetic word for myself as well as for our congregation.

I was especially pleased when it was announced that this year's theme would be "The Year of Breaking New Ground."  The Scripture behind this theme is found in Hosea 10:12, "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  How hope-filled and anticipatory that sounds; I envision all kinds of possibilities for ground breaking!

A quote from my pastor:  "If we become satisfied with where we are in God and cease to pursue a deeper relationship with Him, we then have need of breaking new ground.  As Hosea 10:12 states, when we break up our fallow ground, we will find a fresh work of God in our lives, "until He comes and rains righteousness" on us as a result."

Did you know that the word fallow means, "plowed but left unseeded during a growing season"?  In order to break new ground, I need to begin planting seeds of all kinds.  And there are some things I need to leave behind me as I move forward into 2012.  I think the most important one for me that needs to go is worries.  How often have I fretted and turned problems over and over in my mind, knowing I should be giving them to the Lord, whose shoulders are bigger and who is well able to carry them?  And when I do give them to Him, it often seems like it isn't long before I'm taking them back!  There will always be "stuff" cropping up to upset or unbalance our daily lives if we let them, but I want to begin this new year with a fresh determination to give all my burdens to Him, NOT taking them back, but letting Jesus be in full control of my life.

I like the portion of the verse in Hosea that speaks about it being time to seek the Lord.  That struck such a deep chord in my heart!  I want so much more of my heavenly Father this year ~ a closer walk, a deeper commitment in prayer, sweet communion, waiting on His "still small voice" and being willing to obey whatever He tells me to do. 

I'm still compiling my list and will probably be sharing more "ground breaking" (sorry, I couldn't resist!)  thoughts and hopes for 2012.  I hope you'll be making your own list, too!

Here's a tea cup and saucer that are very precious to me.  They were given to me in the mid-1990's by my friend Trudy: