By Nathan Lorick, Executive Director
I was raised in the beginning of the video game era. My first recollection of playing video games was on a machine called Atari. However, somewhere in the mid 80’s Nintendo burst on the scene and took the world by storm. It was a newer technology that intrigued the minds of gamers before gaming was “cool”. I can remember getting a Nintendo at a young age and spending countless hours learning how to play new games. There was so much to love about the new systems that was changing the world at a rapid pace. However, to me, the greatest feature of Nintendo was the ability to reset the game. It didn’t matter what I was playing. At any time, if the game was not going my way, I could simply push a button and completely reset the game. That’s right, no matter how long I had been playing, I could start all over.
Somewhere in the middle of 2020, I begin having this longing on a larger scale. I simply did not like how this crazy and uncertain year was going. As we have experienced together, 2020 has been unpredictable, uncertain, and difficult. I found myself desiring the simplicity of pushing a reset button and starting over. Obviously, there is no reset button in life. We cannot go back in time and erase what we have walked through. However, as I was spending time with the Lord one morning, my studies brought me to Romans 12:2. In this verse Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It was in that moment, I was reminded that I could in fact hit the reset button. Each day I can push reset in my mind and have my mind renewed by the truth of God’s word and the Holy Spirit. It was also in this moment, that I was reminded how often I need to push that button in my mind and heart and once again focus on the things of God and not so much my circumstances. I want to encourage you as well to push reset in your life. As we begin to close out 2020 and hope together for a better 2021, allow the Holy Spirit to meet you where you are and to reset and renew your mind for the things of God. Fix your eyes on all that God has blessed you with and called you to. Focus on how kind God has been to you in your life and to your family. In doing this, you will feel a sense of gratefulness even in difficulties. As crazy as 2020 has been, God’s goodness and faithfulness has not wavered. He is still in control and is still walking alongside of us.
