As a teenager I gave my life to Christ, not fully understanding what it meant, but I wanted to take a stand for something very important that I believed in, so I took that step.

What followed were twists and turns to my mostly un-Christian walk. I tried to hold things together and do what is right. There was a period in my life when I really struggled. A personal relationship was completely fractured, my grade-three child was struggling in school, and my mom was dying with pancreatic cancer. I couldn't fix these things, and I was weary, burdened, and burnt out. I remember getting on my knees next to my bed and praying one night, "I don't even know what to believe, or how much of this is true, but You said, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'" (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

My prayer had only the tiniest amount of faith in it — really, I didn't think that anything would change. The next morning, however, a weight had been lifted, a calm assurance had come over me, and I started a deeper relationship with Christ.

Skip forward now, 20-plus years, to a new set of issues that include retirement, aging, and health. My spiritual life once again began to flounder — I was feeling drained. I heard about an Alpha course, which I took, and, once again, God blew me away, this time with the Holy Spirit freshly indwelling my life in power. I had not realized how much I had relied on myself to do what is right under my own steam — unsuccessfully.

Do you hear that still small voice nudging you to take a step closer to Him? We are about to start a new year — many of us look forward with hope that things will get better. We can fill our busy lives to overflowing with good things, but when we try to do life under our own steam, we are left feeling drained. Have you experienced the inner peace that He promised, made possible through the Holy Spirit?

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

2 Timothy 1:14 – Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (NIV)

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Son, Who came that we might have eternal life and have it to the fullest. Thank You for forgiving our sin and for giving us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Counsellor Who can breathe new life into us. Open our eyes, Lord, and give us the strength to do Your will. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Clara Bettencourt <claraccb@gmail.com>
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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