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By Stewart Ham

The avenue to a successful life is full of reset buttons and new beginnings. I’ve said many times there’s a cost in being successful.

That cost is work.  To have a successful marriage it takes work, to be financially successful it takes work, to be educationally successful it also takes work.

This work will occasionally have visitors: disappointments, failures in different components, delays in many deliveries, and the list just keeps going.

Due to the vision being close to our heart, the disappointments, failures, and delays can severely affect us, even to the point of causing one to give up.

Paul the Apostle faced much of the very same on all three of his missionary journeys.  He had many disappointments, according to

2Corinthians 12:16v. it seems that most of them actually came from his peers.  To demonstrate Paul’s one of many new starts,

Philippians 33:13v. shows Paul’s message to the church at Philippi.

 He basically was saying he refused to allow the disappointments, failures, and delays he experienced during ministry to imprison him and things that were done in the past no longer merited his attention, his focus was on the present and the future.

Relationships; whether it be family, friends, or even work associates can cause issues. These areas can be very challenging at times, and we sometimes put more into a relationship than what we get out. Many times, we are ready to pull the plug, throw in the towel, or even divorce the relationship.

I’ve said many times to never make a decision in the heat of the moment.  Operating out of emotions can and will cause many regrets in the future. One must remember it takes less effort to mess up a relationship than it does it fix one.

Philippians 33:13v. was Paul’s reset button, and it gave him that new start from a mental standpoint.

In our special project endeavor, we may find ourselves pushing the same reset button or engaging in the same new starts.

Reset buttons and new starts are not terrible things. It’s better to have them and finish than to not have them and give up.

When we look at New Years, many make New Year’s resolutions. Some keep them and some break them.  However, the first part of the new year can be that reset button to help you get back on track.

The book entitled “The Little Engine That Could” is an elementary level story that teaches values of what hard work and persistence will yield.  Such a simple story that has a priceless meaning that can serve as a great reset button.

You will never achieve your goal if you quit. If it takes reset buttons or new starts to keep your momentum going, take all you need.

Stewart Ham Sr. is the Pastor at New Growth Unlimited Ministries, Inc. in Aurora.