I love New Years- it’s something about the glitter, the date changing from one year to the next, and being surrounded by people I love. On the eve of January 1, 2014, I was in Washington, DC at a Campus Outreach Conference that brought together ~750 college students from all over the East coast. We went down to the meeting room in tanks and norts, chained together glow sticks and wore ridiculous party hats, worshipped God for an hour and a half (led by Devon Kaughlin and his band from Sovereign Grace Music… great), counted down, and then had a massive dance party.
I often reflect on my takeaways from this conference (yes, I still remember it years later!) because my experience was that from 1 Peter. In the rallies and seminars, I learned about being born again in Christ (1:4); trusting the Spirit to give a lasting faith(1:7-9); the validity and love found in the Scriptures (1:10-12, 24-25); why I am able to rejoice in suffering (1:6), disciplining my mind towards obedience and not sin (1:13-16), claiming my identity as a daughter of God, a chosen race, and a holy nation (2:9).
When I think back on this experience, I am also reminded of the magnitude of grace that originally transformed my life 2 New Year’s Eve’s prior (Dec 31, 2011), bringing me from death to life (John 5:24), and the grace that continues to transform me (Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 2:18). These few, short days that pointed me to the fullness of joy in Christ are days that I still look back on and draw encouragement from.
What events or circumstances have affected your life for the better? When our life is going “our way” and we’re navigating a smooth-sailing ship, we often tend to overlook and forget about the big moments that make smooth sailing possible. Store up your aha! moments, your lightbulb moments, and your life transformation moments in your heart. Whether your life’s ship is flying through the seas or seems to be sinking, draw these moments out of your heart and remind yourself of who you are in Christ.