With one thing to hold onto…
Cainspirations by Kristi Cain, originally published as a guest post on “Patti’s Porch,” January 2, 2021
DISCOVERING DESTINY.
Overcoming Darkness.
How are you overcoming the darkness of a difficult year? Let’s journey together!
Twenty-twenty is over. Finally.
Not the jokes or memes. Not the social, economic, or political repercussions. And certainly not the coronavirus.
After nine months of disappointment, whatever hope we are entering 2021 with is guarded at best.
There are so many parts of 2020 we want to say goodbye to forever, most of which are still with us as the long-awaited New Year begins.
It is easy to wonder where it will all end. Particularly in light of recent political events.
Still, some glimmers of hope have heralded in the New Year. The Bethlehem Star. Another round of stimulus checks. And the long-awaited vaccine, which has already been delivered to frontline workers. It won’t be long before the rest of us can join them.
And once the rate of resistance outpaces the rate of spread, our new year may eventually bring us to the day we can leave the pandemic in the past.
A day when we will finally be able to put down the masks that have evoked so much ire. Maybe with fanfare. Or even a bonfire.
A day when the scourge of 2020 will finally be hindsight.
But for now, as much as we’d like to activate a memory wipe on 2020 and all of its confining accessories and confounding headlines, I want to challenge each of you to consider the one part of the year worth holding onto.
The part that kept us going when we were out of energy, out of solutions, and ready to quit.
The part that kept us adapting to ever-changing demands that would have otherwise been unthinkable.
The part that helped us keep it together long enough to make it here: to a brand new year.
Faith.
One of the simplest, most powerful weapons in our arsenals.
A weapon which saw plenty of use through the slings and arrows of a truly outrageous chapter of history.
A weapon that was sharpened and refined like gold through the fire.
A weapon that has left us stronger and more prepared for any challenge we might face in the New Year.
But most of all, a power that will leave us grateful and changed when our long-awaited prayers are answered.
A power that will never leave us. That will only make us better and stronger as it draws us closer to God, our captain through every untested tide.
YOUR TURN!
Don’t make me do all the talking – I’d love to hear from you!
- What are you looking forward to leaving behind this year?
- Any positives from 2020 to share?
- Do you want to hear about anything else? Any prayer requests?
Just shoot me an email – don’t be shy! And I promise to reply!
BEAUTY IN TODAY
Check out these awesome photos from readers like you!
PHOTO CREDITS (top to bottom, left to right): Amber Cove by Tammi Millwood, Dominican Republic; Lakeside Sunset by Belinda Jackson, Watts Bar Lake, TN; Backyard Color Show by Ashli Aslin, Columbia, SC; Sunrise by Margie Burgin, McMinn County, TN; Snow Magic by Sara Hill, Athens, TN; True Love by Wanda Key, Tennessee Wesleyan University, TN.
Want to share your “Beauty in Today” picture or inspirational musings? Shoot me an email and you just might be featured in my next issue!
Thanks for visiting with us today! I hope I’ve helped you feel encouraged! – Kristi
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Kristi Cain is a contributing writer at Crosswalk, inspirational blogger, Christian fantasy novelist, English teacher, former journalist, and author of hundreds of articles. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a M.S. in English Education and magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in English. If you enjoy getting regular doses of encouragement, check out her newsletter. You can also get the latest on her upcoming projects on her website and join in a fun, faith-based community with her Facebook group.
Cain’s life experiences and faith journey have lent her the lens through which she shapes stories of unlocking the light of destiny out of darkness. These experiences include the difficult journey through her daughter’s medical crisis, which is one of the featured threads in her debut novel, The Key of Shadows. She lives in the Smoky Mountain foothills of Tennessee surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation with her husband, her teenage daughter and son, and playful family dogs.
Cainspirations by author Kristi Cain 