Arise from 2017 & Emerge in 2018

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“What is the word for the year?” I was asked on New Year’s Eve.  “Hum, not sure” I sheepishly replied.   
How could I not be sure on the last day of the year?  Every year starting with the Jewish new year until the end of our calendar year, I have listened intently within myself for that ONE word, but this year I heard two.  

 ARISE… It is time to Arise.  My challenge with this word? Well, the challenges I faced in 2017 should have brought me to a place where I did arise.  To begin 2018 still saying arise felt a little defeating.  Well, then comes the second word…

 EMERGE… This is the year to Emerge.  Oh, I liked that!!! Emerge feels so powerful (and the word for 2017 was POWER).  Yes, I liked emerge, but what about arise?  Let’s look at the meaning of each word:

 Arise:    
To get up, as from a sitting or prone position; 
To awaken, and get up; 
To move upward; 
To come into being; originate.

 Well, there is no big surprise there!  Let’s now look at Emerge:
To come forth into view; 
To come into existence or notice;
Move out from something and become visible. 

 Wow...I got it!!!!

 2017 brought us many new trials and challenges.  We found ourselves facing situations that we never faced before, and we didn’t really have anyone to walk us through.  These situations were uniquely designed for US!!!  Yes, tailor-made, so stop rebuking the devil.  

 Allow me to illustrate:  
It was New Year’s Day and we had a house full of sleeping people.  My alarm went off at 4:30 AM.  Prayer, Devotion, Exercise (yeah right).  As I lay there, my mind said, “get up”!  Eventually, I did after hitting the snooze button three times.  "Oh darn, now I don’t have time to exercise."  What happened?  My hearts intent was to do what I knew would be beneficial for me, but I chose to delay.  Eventually, I did ARISE, and I noticed my night scarf was lying on the bed. I was sure my hair was quite disheveled without even looking in the mirror. I decided I would start breakfast and everyone would be waiting for me with expectation!

 Now came the critical decision--Should I fix my hair, brush my teeth, and wipe the sleep from my eyes? OR Should I just EMERGE from my bedroom without doing due diligence! Hmm.

 Taking a more personal note, the week of Thanksgiving I spent five days in the hospital.  The last day was the day after Thanksgiving, and I was upset that I missed the holiday with my family.  I was perfectly able to Arise out of my hospital bed, roam the halls and talk with other patients, so why couldn’t I go home. It looked like I was better. It felt like I was better!  But, I had to stay one day longer because the doctors wanted to ensure the medication had done its ‘due diligence’.  I had to wait one more day before I was allowed to Emerge!

 So, what is the primary difference between Arise and Emerge? One is to get up, but the other is to come out…. in victory!!!

 In 2017, you & your spouse may have endured some of the hardest times in your marriage.  Did you Arise from what you went through, or did you just get through it?  

 What did that illness teach you about yourself? About others? About your own mortality? Most of all, what can you now teach others?  

 If we begin 2018 only thanking God the year is over, and declaring what this coming year will be, without looking at lessons 2017 taught us, we will have missed it.

 You fought many battles in 2017, don’t leave your spoils behind!!! 

Comments

Unknown said…
Wow!!!! Don't leave your spoils behind! How often have we won a war and left everything on the battleground?? Thank you for sharing this article with us!
January 2, 2018 at 5:59 PM
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