"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14:27

Here we are, another year has come and gone. Look anywhere and you'll see fifty different reasons why 2016 was the worst year of recent memory. I cannot lie, it was filled to the brim with negativity and altogether awfulness. So, let's look at the positives. Chance The Rapper released Coloring Book and I've been listening to it every day since. We got to see Spider-Man fight Ant-Man. We all seem to agree that we need to tone down our focus on memes. Personally, I graduated high school and started college. There is so much more I could mention but at this point, I would just be rambling. My point is that 2016 was rough, but it's going to be okay. We're going to persevere, one day at a time. Count your blessings, find the good in the bad, and spread some love in this hateful world. Understand that there is no possible way that 2017 can be perfect. Nothing will go perfectly for everybody and we need to understand that. Understanding that there will be imperfections, we can still choose to smile even if everything goes exactly wrong. I would also encourage us to all be more proactive. See the positive but understand when change is needed. It's easy to get jaded in this sinful world. Remember that God has you and your ultimate concern has already been taken care of through the death and resurrection of Christ. When life laughs in your face, join it.