When I think of the New Year I think about ham, cabbage, and black eyed peas. This is the traditional meal that I always looked forward to eating with my step mom's family when I was growing up. We eat the ham for health, the cabbage for wealth, and the black eyed peas for good luck.
I also think about resolutions. According to the dictionary a resolution is a decision to either do or not do something. For example one year I had a resolution to stay off of all forms of social media for the entire month of January.
Side note: it actually is possible to log off and be present in life.
As I look back I think that this may have been the one resolution that I have actually made, rather than it being just a thought, and stuck with.
I do love the idea of a new year. It is a fresh start just. For some reason we cannot start a diet or a new work out routine on a Sunday so we wait for Monday morning.
I've been guilty of this once or twice.
But New Year's is the ultimate new "fresh start". I haven't had a bad year. In fact this year I married my best friend, moved to an apartment with him, got a second dog, and am welcoming a new nephew among many other exciting blessings.
I've had my struggles, my doubts, and my insecurities affect me, as have many others, but I choose to leave those behind and not allow the enemy to fill my thoughts with those memories.
God has continuously blessed me and that is what I choose to focus on as I reflect on 2017.
As 2018 approaches, and quickly at that, I aim to put all of my trust in Christ as this will be such a year of change for me. I do believe that His plans are and will always be better that the plans we "try" to set for ourselves.
My husband and I always planned to return back home to the beautiful coast of Mississippi where we are both from and begin the next chapter of our lives. However, he was given an incredible offer for a new job in Tennessee and in early May we will move immediately after graduation.
This will be the ultimate "fresh start" for our small family.
It will be hard. I will have moments of fear, doubt, and anxiety. But this is why I am making a resolution to fully trust Christ in this new chapter.
As a newlywed wife it is my job to support my husband and to love him unconditionally. He doesn't make the decisions he does out of selfishness, but through prayer. I do believe this is the path Christ has laid out for us and this is why it is so incredibly important for me to fully trust in Christ in this fresh start.
At the end of every year I begin to see people complain and wish the new year would just start already. That it has been a year of "misery" and every other negative word that you can think of. It really saddens me. The year may be hard and unfortunately we will face more upsets in the next one, but as humans I just don't understand why some choose to reflect on those moments versus the ones full of light, happiness, blessings, and more.
Choose to focus on the light and I promise your heart will feel a whole lot lighter and filled more joy. Even if it is hard to find the positives pick just one thing that just made you smile and rest in that.
I know that life isn't always grand, but I pray that in this moment of reflection that you can find one thing to make you smile. And that as you make your resolutions that you put your trust in Christ.
This next year I pray that I can make the difference that I always talk about making and to fully trust Him even in the hurt. What is God speaking to you today and what has He laid on your heart for this new year?