The word new can be defined as something that has never existed before or something that has existed but is being experienced for the first time.

For the sake of this year's AWOGI theme, God’s Plan for ME in 2023 we are encouraging you to acknowledge the now, accept the new and anticipate the next.

The past several months have created opportunity for several new experiences. For example, my family and I have moved from the city to a rural area—that’s new for us and it's becoming our normal.

In some cases, many of us struggle at incorporating new normals into our daily existence.

Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds us of this, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” 

God is purpose-driven. His efforts to get our attention and point us in the right direction might include drastic means and methods but He always has our best interest in mind.

While God is always the same (yesterday, today, and forever more), we are always evolving. My prayer is that we are becoming better versions of ourselves by becoming more and more like God.

We should never get too comfortable with our lives as they are because God just might be up to something new.

Challenge: Remember to take on every day as a new adventure and expect the unexpected:

• Ask God to help you to adjust to the “new normals” in your life
• Seek God's strength to make the appropriate adjustments needed
• Establish habits that encourage you to do or learn something new

Accept the NEW.