Starting a New Year With Hope

Two things to leave behind, two things to cling to for dear life.

I love this time of year. Christmas, in all the peace and joy and chaos, is past. Our routine, which has been wildly out of order, will work itself back into place over the next couple of weeks. I start thinking about the year ahead and how I want to organize my life.

This is when I write it all down in my journal, pray about what’s working, what isn’t working, and asking God to give me vision for the season ahead.

Two things I want to leave behind this year: fear and regret. They want to tag along with me everywhere I go, blinding me to the exquisite beauty of my moment-by-moment life. I choose to refuse their company.

I refuse to start sentences with if-onlys and what-ifs. I will not be paralyzed by fear. I will not become a reflection in a shadowy mirror of my past. I choose to live. To be present. To find joy and peace in the midst of a difficult and confusing world.

I will exchange fear for faith. I will exchange regret for redemption.

And so, I will walk into a new year with hope. And my prayer is that you will, too. Sending this message as a reminder: We are not alone. The world is dark, but God has illuminated a path before us, step by step. Take heart, be brave, and live.

Love,

Mackenzie