We all need a restart now and then.

We began something that we wanted to keep doing. A healthy diet. An exercise plan. Further education. A garden. A reading plan. Writing a book.

Why is it more difficult to stick to the good things? I never hear anyone say, “I think I’m going to eat donuts for breakfast every day. Sure hope it’s not too hard.” Or, “I’m going to watch mindless media every night from now on. Wonder if I can keep it up.” Or, “That’s it, no more getting up early for me. I’m sleeping in. It may be hard, but I’m going to do it.”
Crazy, right?

Because it’s the good things, things that take effort and require some sacrifice, that we sometimes have trouble sustaining.

This year I kicked off a new theme for my blogs. Re. I wrote nine devotions on the series and made it through the end of March. And I stopped. I still like the concept. I still have ideas for the different words beginning with Re, I still think the words are some great words. But somehow I just didn’t keep it up. And now I need a Restart.

In my restart I decided to revamp (another Re word) and update my blog site. In doing so, I discovered another series I left to die. On books. Books I read, books that impacted me, books I wanted to share. I started the reviews as blog posts, only to somehow make them into page updates. It needed a restart, too. Which will be easy at first, because I’ve already written eleven of them and can post them as new blogs. Is that cheating? Maybe, but it will buy me a little time to look back over the books I’ve read this year (thank goodness for GoodReads) and write some new reviews.

Back to Re. I see God in many of the Re words (which is what inspired me in the first place) and I see him in restart, also. My faith tradition tells a long story of God continually restarting relationships with his people when the relationship goes awry. Floods, freedom from slavery, broken families, immigrant love stories, new kings, returns from exile, all tell of new beginnings, new opportunities, new starts.

Need a restart on mercy? God can.
“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:23)
In other words, his mercies for us restart every day.

Need a restart on your heart? God can.
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26)
In other words, he restarts our hearts.

Feel like you need a restart on your life? God can.
“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 )
In other words, he restarts your life in Christ.

I love that. We all need a restart now and then.
So what is it that you began that dwindled, declined, dropped off, that you’d like to begin again? That you want to restart?

Uncertain? Hesitant? Afraid?
Ask God. He’ll show you what is good and what he desires of you. His Spirit will encourage you, equip you and enable you to restart. So why not today?