New Beginnings

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. —Genesis 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —John 1:1

For refugees and immigrants, almost everything about their lives is a new beginning. A new language… a new city… new foods and customs… new work… new friends. The newness can be overwhelming. When it is, we call it culture shock.

I know a little of what culture shock is like from my own experience. It made me anxious and worried. It also made me grouchy and a bit paranoid. I worried about perfectly innocent things that people from my new culture were doing—was it going to turn out badly? Did they have good intentions toward me? I lost my mental balance so badly I got worried about people stealing my silverware! (Which was of course stainless steel.)

People usually recover from the shock of new beginnings—but the recovery goes better if there is someone you can trust, someone who loves you. And there is nobody better for that than our Lord. The same God who created the world to begin with—he is the same Christ who came down from heaven to become a man, one of us. He loved us so much he gave his life for us—and then rose again. And because he lives forever and loves us still, we know that he will get us through all of our stressful times.

Do you know anyone who is struggling through a new beginning? Perhaps it’s someone who is new to this country. Perhaps it’s someone who is facing a new stage of life. In either case, pray for them. Ask the Lord to give you the chance to talk with them about Jesus, who holds us safe through all our beginnings.

Dear Lord, as we face a new year and the unknowns that come with it, watch over us. Care for those who are feeling overwhelmed in their new lives, and bring them to trust in you. Amen.

By Dr. Kari Vo