The Start of a New Season Growing Closer to Him

Well...2018 has come and gone and 2019 has made its grand entrance! I don't know about you, but I have so many different feelings when a new year begins. Some of these feelings include: excitement, anxiety,  thankfulness, fear, etc. However, the greatest feeling I have when a new year begins is wonder. As a new year begins I am always filled with wonder of what the year will hold for me. Sadly, most of this wonder is negative. I will ask myself things like: Will this year be filled with failure? Will I be successful this year? Will I lose relationships? Will I struggle? Will I fall short?  I think I end up wondering so much that sometimes I cause myself to grow sick and fearful. I have created a picture within my head of the beginning of a new year to be a scary thing instead of something beautiful. 

As 2018 came to a close I made an agreement with myself that I was no longer going to have a period of negative wondering at the start of a new year. I knew this was going to be hard for me, so I turned to God. I asked Him to calm my heart, equip me with His word that says not to be afraid, and to help me remember that His plan for me is sufficient and that He will guide me every step of the way. After spending time in prayer with God He helped me to realize that all my fears of beginning a new year are quite normal and that it is okay to have those questions. However, He also helped me to realize that no year I will ever journey through will be perfect. He reminded me that I live in an imperfect world where it is inevitable that every year will have failure, struggle, loss, and difficulty. He grew a realization in me that all the imperfection I might experience throughout a year is beautiful because it will bring me closer to Him. 

You see, every year is a gift. It is a gift because we get to experience God's goodness through all the celebration, failure, difficulty, and triumph throughout the year. Every year God is working on us. He is creating us to grow into the people He first created us to be. Every year we are becoming closer and closer to growing into being the people God hopes for us to be, and this reason is exactly why every year is beautiful. 

This is the start of a new season. A new season of growing more firmly into a relationship with God, and a part of growing into that relationship may mean that we have to climb some difficult mountains along the way. However, do not let the fear of climbing those mountains stop you from having the excitement of beginning a new year. A new year is something we should always be joyous about because it truly is a new beginning and a new time to work towards the Kingdom. I have complete faith that you will experience nothing but goodness this year, not because there will be no failure (remember that is inevitable!), but because you will have the opportunity to grow closer to God because of it! You have all the potential and strength you need to begin this new season because you have God within you, and what a blessing and gift that is! 

I pray God's richest blessings over you in this new year! May you always know that you are a new creation because of God's everlasting love for you! 

*****HAPPY 2019!*****

Have a lovely and sweet week and stay faithful, friends!

Much love always, 

Gracie