Happy New Year!

As I sit and think back over this year, I reflect on the goodness of God.  Even through all the bad that occurred, I can still see God's hand on my life.  When I doubted Him, didn't have faith in Him, or simply didn't even want anything to do with Him because I was angry with Him, He still proved faithful to me.  Isn't that amazing?!?  I did absolutely everything to make Him want to drop me as His child, and yet He had the desire to redeem our relationship.  I just am overwhelmed at the goodness and love of such an awesome God.  There were times when I told Him to leave my life, when I would rather have walked away, but He was there pursuing me relentlessly.  If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.  

Now, is life all good and "peachy" right now?  Absolutely not!  Life is filled with heartache, disappointment, anger, frustration, unfairness, sickness, death.  BUT, we can still have hope in the one, true Living Savior of the world!  Does this mean that I don't still have hard days, where I want to give up and give in?  No, I'm human, and Satan is real!  The thing I am trying to get a grasp on is that no matter the circumstances going on in my life, God is still God, and He is still good.  This is a daily discipline for me.  There are days when I can barely pull myself from the bed as I think about some of the events that have happened in my life.  Then there are days when I know that the Lord God is with me, and He gives me extra strength for the day ahead.  For that, I’m thankful!

For the year ahead, it’s my desire to focus on Christ, to make Him the desire of my heart, to focus on His goodness.  I don’t want to be a bitter person, always looking at the bad, not remembering that in spite of the bad there was still good.  I want to focus on the good, so that when the bad comes (notice I didn’t say “if”), I will have a heart of gratitude and a proper perspective.  So, bring on 2014.  I’m ready to leave 2013 in the past!