(Note: The following message originally aired on Autism One Radio on 12/31/06. To hear the broadcast at any time, please go to:http://autismone.org/radio/?archive=1609&bg=&FromA1
and click on the arrow above “Listen to Jack and Rebecca Sytsema.”)

SWEEP OUT THE OLD THINGS OF 2006

“The LORD says, ‘Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don't you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.’”
(Isa 43:18-19, New Century Version)

WHAT KIND OF YEAR has 2006 been for you? Has it been all you had hoped for one year ago? Has it been turbulent? Disappointing? Victorious? Or has it been a mixture of encouragement and difficulties?

It is without question part of our human nature to come to the end of a season and reflect back on the blessings and challenges, on the triumphs and failures. Most parents of children with autism with whom we have spoken can point to a few successes, but overall feel a sense of weariness and frustration that another year has drawn to a close and their precious son or daughter remains non-verbal, or not potty-trained. Perhaps their children still don’t sleep through the night, or continue to struggle with serious digestive disorders. Perhaps they have not conquered troubling behavior, developed new difficult behaviors, or have become increasingly aggressive as puberty approaches.

Still other parents, seeing no further alternative, have quit looking to school systems for hope and are, instead, looking at placements in group homes.

There can be so many, many discouraging things.

But as we come to the end of this year which, for us and so many others, has been so challenging, we feel the Lord is clearly saying one thing to us: Sweep out the old things of 2006!

What exactly does that mean? It means that we are not going to move into the new year expecting the old, discouraging cycles to remain in place. It means that although we have been through a difficult season, that season is ending! It means that with the end of the year, we are asking God to end our season of grief. It means that even though we may not have accomplished all we could have in this past year, God is giving us a new chance in the next year.

We do not underestimate that the pain and discouragement of the past season can cause many to either doubt or become unwilling to expect God to move on their behalf. But that is the very nature of true faith. Faith, simply put, is that pause between seeing the mountain before us today, and seeing it cast into the sea tomorrow. It is as we look at that mountain, so immovable, so seemingly well established, and say “God would have you cast into the sea!” that our faith begins to once again come alive. And even the smallest flicker of hope and faith is enough for God to move, and move mightily.

Still others may not want to believe for fear that they will once again be disappointed. On a day when I was struggling with that very fear, I heard a preacher say something that forever changed my outlook. He said, “If you believe God for something today, it opens the door for Him to move and fulfill the desire of your heart. And if it does not happen, at the very least you are one day closer to the promise of God being fulfilled in your life!” The thought was simple, and yet extraordinarily profound.

We expect great things for 2007! But first we must sweep out the old things of 2006. We have personally made a commitment to each other and to God that we will leave behind all the old discouragements, frustrations, and pain this past year has held. Does that necessarily mean that on January 1, 2007 our sons will suddenly become the fully-functioning boys we know are locked within them? No. That will probably not be the case. But we believe with our whole hearts that we are one day – one year closer to tremendous breakthrough and to all the promises of God being fulfilled for all our children as well as ourselves. And, we will be breathing the fresh air of faith and hope, rather than the stale, choking stench of discouragement and defeat.

So how do we sweep out the old things of 2006? Here is a checklist of eight things to help us move out of the old year and into the new:

1. Reflect on the past year. Write out a list of frustrations, disappointments, failures, successes, accomplishments, and blessings both large and small. Such a list is a good way to inventory not only the past year but to understand where you are today.

2. In looking at the list, have grace for yourself. You may not have accomplished everything you intended to, but focus on the ways in which you did move ahead, or how you helped others to move ahead. Realizing the extraordinary demands of parenting children with autism, make it a point to go easy on yourself—and know that there is a new season ahead for accomplishing goals. Also, you may need to forgive yourself for any number of things. If you find this hard to do, ask the Lord to help you. His grace for you is boundless.

3. Have grace for others. Just as you should have grace for yourself, you may need to extend grace to others who have not met your expectations for 2006. Perhaps it’s your child with autism or your typical children who have not reached their goals this year. Perhaps your spouse has greatly disappointed you. Perhaps family or friends have not been there for you when you needed them. But just as God’s grace for you is boundless, so is His grace for those around you. Of course that does not mean that we do not address or focus on problems which need resolution – God is not codependent, nor does He want us to be! But, just as we are in God’s process of refinement, so are those around us. Seeing that there is a new season ahead for them can be help us sweep away our own disappointment in others.

4. Forgive others. Extending grace to those who have disappointed us is like sweeping the dirt into a pile. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is putting the dirt into the trash. There is no doubt forgiveness can be one of the hardest things to do, but it is essential – not only for those we are forgiving, but for ourselves as well. That is because unforgiveness is a sure way of focusing us so much on the past season that we are unable to move forward in God’s plan for our own lives. It actually holds us in greater bondage than those whom we have not forgiven. One of my favorite ways of explaining this is, “Unforgiveness is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Take time to extract any poison of unforgiveness which may have accumulated in 2006.

5. Release any resentment you may have against God. When we are hit with circumstances beyond our own control, such as a sick child, it can often become easy to blame God for our troubles. While there are many issues this brings up which we hope to address in depth in the weeks to come, the main point here is to realize that if we resent God, we will not be able to move forward into our new season in all the power and victory He has for us. If we blame God, we cannot trust Him to deliver us into a new season.

6. Looking back at your reflections of 2006, take some time to pay special attention to the blessings of the year and focus on that which God has done for you and your family. Take some time to give Him praise and thanksgiving for how He has cared for you. Be specific. Be thorough. Allow the sweetness of a thankful heart to penetrate your spirit.

7. As you are giving the Lord thanks, allow His spirit to break off any discouragement and frustration from the past season. Let yourself receive His healing for your heart over any deep disappointments you have experienced. Allow Him to minister renewal and refreshment deep in your heart and mind.

8. As you receive His healing over the past season, allow your faith to begin to arise for the year to come. Having seen the good things that He has done for you, let yourself believe that He has even better things ahead and that the old cycle has come to an end once and for all! Allow the Lord to ignite your spirit with new hope and expectation for your future.

We challenge you to join us at this year’s end by responding to God sweeping out the old things of 2006, so that we can experience a little bit of heaven in 2007 (which, by the way, will be the topic of our next message)!

With many blessings for a great new year,
Jack and Rebecca Sytsema

©2007, Children of Destiny. All rights reserved.

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