With the remains of roman candles and black cat firecrackers littering the ground throughout Albania’s capital city, we enter 2010. Tirana will sleep for 2 solid days as stores, cinemas, and even the most populated coffee shops are closed for hibernation. Baklava is fresh and bountiful in homes, having been made the 2 or 3 days prior to the New Year, to welcome all those who venture outside their homes to make the rounds of New Year’s visits at friend’s and neighbor’s homes as is custom here.

2009 has passed, 2010 is upon us. On blogs and in the news we see endless lists that cause us to pause for reflection on the past. “The best & worst movies of 2009.” “The 30 best posts of 2009.” “Best dressed of 2009.”

Though it is a great time for looking back, remembering the achievements and special joys of this past year, pondering the challenges we’ve experienced and the ways we’ve grown through them, many of us would prefer to look forward with anticipation of a new beginning, a chance to get things right, gain a fresh start, set new goals and make necessary changes so that 2010 is a better year, or even “the best year yet” as many New Year’s well-wishers express.

As I transition to a New Year and New Decade, 3 timeless truths that I can cling to enable me to move forward with hope and anticipation, not worry or dread.

1. His mercies are new every morning, every day of the year—not just once a year.

Perhaps for many 2009 held financial difficulties, job loss or great personal sorrow that resembles Jeremiah’s bitterness in the Book of Lamentations… “I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting bottom.” (Lam. 3:19).

Despite how difficult and painful the past has been, there is reason to hope. Just 3 verses later we read, “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, His merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great is your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God… He’s all I’ve got left.” (Lam. 3:22-24, The Message).

What gives me great hope is that His mercies are not new just once a year, upon the arrival of the New Year, but every day, they reach down to us in whatever despairing situation we find ourselves in. God’s loyal love is a reality, for each of the 365 days in 2010.

2. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

In pondering the happenings of 2009, while I could easily dwell on the difficult circumstances we’ve faced– my father-in-law being diagnosed with cancer and business clients who haven’t paid their bills among others, I’d much rather bring to mind the countless ways we’ve seen and tasted God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives, even through challenging trials. So as we head into this New Year—what a great truth to cling to—God is constant, unchanging, steady, solid… just as He has shown His faithfulness to us throughout the past year, He will continue to do so in this new one.

3. God holds the future, so I can relax (not worry) and focus on today.

Not knowing what the future holds can be scary and even intimidating at times. But God is all about embracing today, just as His name is “I Am.” I don’t need to walk with trepidation into 2010 with worries, anxieties and “what if’s” flooding my mind— doing so would only paralyze me and keep me from moving forward.

Instead I can cling to this wonderful truth– God is sovereign and He holds the future. His will is good, pleasing and perfect for my life, so I can take one day at a time, living in His strong embrace, knowing that His grace is sufficient for all that I’ll face today and every day.

As you enter 2010, what truths give you hope, courage and joy in facing a New Year?

Photo by: Konrad Mostert

“A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.” (Proverbs 15:17)

When I read this proverb it seemed to jump off the page at me as profound wisdom in the midst of tough economic times.

Though Albania hasn’t been hit in such dramatic ways (yet) as the U.S. and other countries, generally speaking, soup is more common than steak on Albanian tables.

And Albania will begin to feel the painful effects of the world economic crisis as Albanian immigrants living in other countries lose their jobs and are no longer able to send money back to their families in Albania.

As I prepare soups and stews more often than steak dinners, I’m so glad that it is with some I love! I would much prefer dining on soup with TCLH any day than having a tasty mouth-watering steak with someone I hated or didn’t enjoy being around.

Soup is good for your soul, especially when you’re sharing it with someone you love and adore.

A crisis like the current recession provides lots of opportunities to reflect on what is most important in life and thank God for His precious gifts– relationships with loved ones, quality time together, laughter, sharing burdens with a dear friend, etc.

How have your meals changed in form or substance over the past year? What wisdom or perspective can you offer others?

Photos by: 1. Steve Woods 2. Vito Covalucci

I’m on the Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship as I write this. It may seem odd to write about contentment when I’m on a luxurious cruise ship (after all, the Apostle Paul wrote about contentment from prison), eating all the food I could ever imagine, enjoying a thermal spa daily, being able to exercise in the gym at any hour of the day on top-of-the-line machines, and viewing entertaining programs on a nightly basis– comedy, acrobatic displays and wonderful dancing. But the Apostle Paul said that he learned to be content whether he was in want or had plenty.

Contentment seems like something you need to strive towards when you’re in want– when you’ve lost your job or your finances are caving in, or your air conditioning just broke and the outside temps bulge above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It makes sense to talk about the key to contentment in those circumstances, right? But when you are tasting ‘abundance’– is it normal to struggle with contentment then?

Am I content you wonder as I cruise along on this small city-like ship visiting the beautiful ports of Alaska? Though I certainly would mention on my “cruise feedback slip” that service could be faster at the Summer Palace dining room (the particular dining room that reminds me of scenes from “The Titanic” in terms of it’s fancy decor) I really am very content and extremely thankful for God’s generosity towards me through my mom, who took me on this cruise.

But I haven’t always experienced contentment when having plenty.

Flashback to the summer of 1992.

I spent 6 weeks on a mission trip during the summer break sandwiched between my junior & senior year in college, in the “just-emerging-from-Communism” country of Albania. Albanians were experiencing freedom for the first time in over 40 some years and the country was in a tumultuous time of transition as they tried to set up structures of democracy. I remember there were very few shops open, 1 or 2 cars on the road in the capital city, people waiting in line for bread, and very scarce provisions all around. It was a summer that opened my eyes to people living with far less than what I was used to growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.

As our time came to an end after 6 intensely beautiful weeks in the country and we boarded the plane to leave Albania, when the stewardess handed out the meal and accompanying plastic wrapped set of utensils and napkins, I began to cry as I touched the napkins because we hadn’t touched a paper napkin during our entire stay in Albania– and then receiving one on the plane that came wrapped in its own plastic shell seemed like such an undeserved privilege that I felt truly guilty. I promised myself that I would pray for Albania every time I took a shower, considering how fortunate I was to have hot running water with perfect pressure at any time of the day, something that we had lacked during our 6 weeks there. I didn’t want to forget the harsher realities that my new Albanian friends endured all the time as they lived constantly in what I would consider a “state of want” rather than plenty.

Another memory I have is the “reverse culture shock” I encountered upon arriving back in the U.S. I didn’t experience the culture shock one might expect upon entering Albania– I guess I had been preparing for the worst and was pleasantly surprised that Albania was better than I expected. But the reverse culture shock really hit me hard. Seeing the abundance of things (and especially the waste) in the U.S– food, electricity, appliances, paper cups (I cried over a McDonald’s paper cup in Germany en route from Tirana to Chicago), rolls upon rolls of plush & colorful toilet paper, the glitter and colors in store malls bombarded my eyes as I re-entered my home culture.

I remember feeling judgmental toward others– because they had so much and didn’t even realize how much of the world lived without– wardrobes of clothes and shoes that encompassed a whole room that we call a closet– and I’d think of my Albanian friends who had maybe one or two special outfits that they took great lengths to care for so that they would last that much longer.

A few days after I got back, my mom said something about wanting to will to me some of her special family heirlooms of jewelry. My response was brazen and accusatory, like, “those are meaningless, I don’t want your heirlooms”– everything seemed so excessive to me– and I was feeling guilty for having plenty– for growing up in a country that was abundantly blessed, for having certain privileges that I knew my Albanian friends hadn’t experienced before.

So Paul’s words penned while in prison were comforting yet challenging to me as I needed to ‘learn to be content’ even in plenty, in abundance, when all of my needs were met and then some.

“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (Philippians 4:11-13, The Message)

Paul says that contentment is something that we learn. Integral to Paul’s ‘recipe’ of happiness whether full or hungry was the central ingredient of focusing on Jesus, the One who provides enabling strength to face whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

I’ve discovered that a thankful and generous heart is also key to experiencing contentment in both situations. When I’m in want– the times in Albania when we lose electricity unexpectedly, have no water to shower at a convenient time of the day, or am unable to enjoy a favorite fruit like blueberries or find the perfect-fitting clothes without a Carson’s nearby– having an attitude of gratitude lifts my heart out of self-pity and reminds me to focus on all that I do have. And being generous with my finances, time or possessions frees me from guilt when I am living with plenty– it is the key that opens the door of joy–  and helps me to be free from “attachment” to things so that what I ‘posses’ does not posses me.

When I’m experiencing plenty– like being on this amazing cruise ship where someone else makes my bed, cleans my room, and prepares my meals daily– I don’t need to feel guilty– again, having a thankful heart reminds me that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows (James 1:17).

Though my circumstances frequently change– my Heavenly Father does not– and He knows how to best provide for my needs, taking care of the most intimate details of my life, and He delights in lavishing His love and care for me, in situations of both want and plenty.

P.S. Thanks, Mom, for the wonderful cruise, and yes, I’d enjoy those special heirlooms one day!

Have you ever struggled with having too much? What has helped you experience contentment in those situations? I’d love to hear your comments on this topic!

Photos by: 1. Tamara Doci, 2. Brad Harrison

I was preparing one of my favorite meals for TCLH the other evening, “Bread, Cheese and Tea”. It’s one of my favorite meals to make, because, quite literally, it only takes 3 ingredients, the aforementioned. And, as icing on the cake so to speak, TCLH considers this one his favorite meals as the combination of flavors brings back a strange kind of nostalgia from his childhood under Communism.

Well, there I was, after laboring in the kitchen for hours minutes to cut 2 chunks of goat (or ‘feta’) cheese, boil the mountain tea, and take the fresh sliced bread out the bag and place them onto our plates. As I’m setting them on the table, TCLH remarks upon seeing the nice square size of goat cheese on his plate—“This one piece would feed our whole family of 5 for three days under Communism!” Though it sounded like a mock complaint, I calmly said in my defense “Aren’t you glad things have changed?”

His comment was a good reminder that it’s easy to take things for granted—even a nice-sized portion of goat cheese. That day I decided that I want to be more intentional in thanking God for the little things in life, even as mundane as Goat Cheese!

What “Goat-cheese” like things do you take for granted or are thankful for?