How did it feel the first time we started a new habit or hobby, the first hour we started a more challenging workout regimen, the first day we worked somewhere different, the first month of marriage, or the first year living in a new country?
New beginnings can feel both exciting and fear-inducing. Whenever we try something new, be it a new job or a new neighborhood or even just a new routine for starting our day, we may have questioned why we even decided to do it in the first place and a brief moment where we’re tempted to go back to our comfort zone, to return to how things have always been before we dipped our toes outside it.
Whatever our fresh start may be, and no matter how ‘big’ or ‘small’ it is, a change in our normal routine can be difficult, and there will be many, many times when we want to make a U-turn. However, remember that if we do that, we may have returned to our comfort zone…but will that choice change and improve our lives in the future? Will we let ourselves be stuck in the same routine for a long time, never able to see how amazing of a person we can actually be if we just put in a little more courage and perseverance?
Remember to let go of limiting beliefs by sharing all our worries with the Lord.
Prayer for new beginnings
Heavenly Father,
I kneel before Your presence in awe and reverence. You are the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the God of all gods, yet here You are, sparing me all the time in the world just to listen to my woes and give me peace and comfort.
There have been many trials in my life, and You were with me through all of them. In times of joy and abundance, there are times when I eagerly celebrate myself but forget to celebrate and thank You, the One who has turned all my successes into fortune. In times of hardship, I can sometimes be quick to blame You or question Your plans for me. For all these sins, my Lord, I am deeply sorry. My sinfulness does not deserve to be in the presence of Your glory, and yet You still patiently encourage me to correct my wrongs. For that, I am grateful.
Thank You for every door You have opened for me. Thank You for the gifts of education, of career, a healthy body and a positive support system, all of which have provided me with opportunities for growth and self-improvement. Thank You for every year that brings endless possibilities and for every new beginning that allowed me to drop the pain of the past and start anew, stronger and better. Through Jesus Christ, You gave humanity a chance to start afresh and be saved while inspiring others.
Lord, I pray to You with a hopeful heart. I open a new chapter in my life. There are new things ahead of me, and while I am eager to know what You have planned for me, I still feel anxious and unsure. As I slowly take baby steps while adjusting to this fresh start, please continue to make Your presence known in my life. I cannot predict the future, nor can I fully comprehend Your great plans for me, but I am at ease as long as I feel Your loving presence. Light a spark of hope in my heart, and help me grow that flame into a fire of excitement as I learn to see the new route ahead of me not as a detour toward a dark forest but as a highway to brighter opportunities.
These I ask in Your Most Precious Name,
Amen.
Short prayer for a fresh start
Heavenly Father, I seek the comfort of Your guiding hand as I step out of my comfort zone and enter a new chapter of my life. Fill me with hope and excitement so that I will look upon this fresh start with a light heart. Keep this enthusiasm with me as I adjust to new trials. Give me courage and wisdom as I traverse this new beginning. Help me view this fresh start not as a challenge but as a great opportunity. All this I ask of Your Most Precious Name. Amen.
The Word of God
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NRSVUE
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSVUE
Though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.
Job 8:7 NRSVUE
He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NRSVUE
Intercessory prayer to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, from a young age, life had thrown numerous trials at you. During those tough times, you managed to start anew and raise your children. The transition was not easy, and there were times when you may have been overwhelmed by new responsibilities.
Saint Elizabeth, I earnestly ask you to be with me as I welcome a new chapter of my life, a chapter where I experience beginning again and an opportunity to start afresh. This is a chance to learn, improve, and be better. Yet, although the destination is sunny, the path to it is a bumpy road that I know will threaten my resolve and determination in many ways. The Lord has seen your hardships and helped you through them, and with your added intercession, I know He will hear mine too.
Saint Elizabeth, pray for me.
Amen.
Further reflection
New beginnings can mean different things for each person. For drug users, gamblers, heavy drinkers, smokers, and criminals, it can be the hard choice to drop the vices that, through years of compounded usage, have become so addictive. For refugees, it can be starting a new life in a foreign country where they know no one and barely know anything about the culture, the customs, the laws, or even the language. For students, it can mean moving out of their parent’s house and truly being responsible for their lives.
When we decide to get out of our comfort zone and embrace change by choosing to start something new in our life, it’s possible to feel overwhelmed, doubtful, and even taxed sometimes.
Recognizing, accepting, and letting go of negative habits and traits in our life can be difficult too, at first. Be proud of choosing to stop making excuses and instead become a better version of ourselves. Choosing to work out more often is a hard choice, but with consistency and a positive, hopeful mind, it can help us reap the rewards of good health for years to come. Moving to a new country or neighborhood can be difficult for those who prefer to live in predictable routines, but it can open doors to new friendships and experiences.
In the end, what we fear most is not really what lies ahead but how we can handle the transition and for how long. Hence, it’s important to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance before, during, and after we create new beginnings in life so that our days, whether hard or easy, will always be filled with joy, hope, and love.
