Tag: New Years

Looking Back

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Looking Back

As the year 2018 ends, looking back over this last year I wonder what I’ve accomplished. While I can’t say I’ve had the most productive year, but I don’t believe it’s been a total waist either. While I’m not sure I see my own growth, I have been told I have grown, and no I don’t mean my stomach, I mean my walk with the Heavenly Father. I have moved farther along on my path to a Bachelors Degree. I have joined a young adult bible study that I enjoy going too. I have started working towards being ordained. I have attempted to get a recumbent trike from the VA as part of my recovery from back surgery. I completed another round of physical therapy. I have maintained a debt free life. I participated in multiple Wounded Warrior Project events. I said hello to new friends, goodbye to some of them, even goodbye to some old friends. The biggest change in my life is meeting a wonderful lady named Argie. We have grown in our affection of one another despite the distance between us. We are making plans to meet early in 2019 and I have become quite hopeful for that visit.

While on the surface from the outside looking in it may not look like I’ve made any progress but in reality, laying the groundwork and a solid foundation takes time and efforts. There have been setbacks along the way as my career in security ended abruptly. But God closes off paths to bad areas we don’t need to be. Security was over for me, and when it closed I decided to listen to God and trust in the new path before me. It’s interesting how God will take something completely unrelated and show us a path. While I was in Cape Cod I met some great men of God and they made great points of scripture that would lead me to my new path. Interestingly enough this came less then two weeks after I would loose my Job in security.

Going into this New Year I would recommend not looking back except to learn lessons, and leave the junk behind. Do not hold onto pain, or losses, or regrets. Learn from them, and always have a spirit of joy. The Lord God is plentiful with gifts from above, and we should be rejoicing that we still draw breath, and that while we do we can live for God. 1 Chronicles 16:11-12“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”1 Chronicles 16:8“A blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.”

Do not live in the past, because it’s gone and done. Look ahead to the future with joy and hope for Jesus loves you. 

New Years

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New Years

How did you spend your New Years? Some went to a party with friends or family, others have spent it sick in bed, and myself, I sat up, drinking wine and watching the Rockin’ New Years Eve show. While I would say this year has been uneventful, it wasn’t, just not overly positive. I know for me, I don’t enjoy spending New Years Eve alone. I remember last year I sat in my living room in my old house, all the lights were out, and I listened to music. I barely noticed when the clock struck midnight and rung in the New Year. While I had high hopes 2017 would have gone so much differently then it had, I continue to hope for the future.

When we put our best foot forward sometimes no matter what we do we fall flat on our face. We all have made new years resolutions, and sometimes we are able to achieve them, others we fail, but we can’t achieve anything unless we try. See, you can’t make omelets without breaking some eggs. We cannot build a house without putting forth effort. It takes something to get something, and if we ever want to get we have to give.

As the days of the New Year come and go, much of life is going to be attitude. How are we managing our time, and our gifts we are given? How are we handling the adversity? We will make all kinds of statements about how this year will be different, and when it comes down to it, the only true difference you will have over your life is you. How will your own attitude be? How will you handle the chances within yourself that’s so needed to make the true change? Will you devote more of your to Jesus? Will you spend more time in church, and with loved ones? Will you love more deeply? Will you give more freely? The thing is, nothing else matters if you don’t improve your relationship with God. Everything we have comes from God, and when we have nothing we still have God. When we have everything and we are living a blessed life, we are only blessed because we are dong what the Lord wants from us. If you’re going to make any changes this year, put your nose in your bible more.

If I may, I’d like to offer some advice. Love your wives like tomorrow may end. Love your husbands like you may never see them again. Don’t take your days for granted. Don’t waist the time we have because it’s precious and we never know what the future may hold. In just over a year I’ve lost so much and I never thought 2017 was going to be a year of so much hurt and pain. No matter the pain we have, or the pain we may face, we can never loose sight of the big picture. Love is more powerful then anything else and when we loose sight of that, we truly loose sight of the hope in our lives. Jesus Christ died for us and overcame death to give us hope. If we are to truly have hope in our lives we must believe that anything is possible and tomorrow may bring us anything. We have to make the change within our heart, not with our mind. Make the change and be the change.

 

 

 

 

New Years Eve, A Year Remembered

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New Years Eve, A Year Remembered

In the last year I’ve gone through and lost two positions within my company for one reason or another. I have had major losses with my friends. I suffered a major back injury resulting in surgery. I moved out of my home to sell it. I ended up living with my mother. I became debt free. I was able to travel to Hawaii for a veteran’s clinic. I met a wonderful friend in Indiana. Since February I have written and published 381 posts this year and only God knows what 2018 has to offer

We may not always have the year we hoped, but it’s the year we have. We can only hope that as we say goodbye to 2017 that we say hello to 2018 with zeal. We must look to the future with hope and optimism. While 2017 was possibly one of the worst years I’ve ever had with just a few moments of joy sprinkled around. It’s been a long road getting from there to here but as 2018 pops up, we can only pray that the winds of change have come and have faith, that tomorrow will be a brighter future. There will always be ups and downs, and sometimes life is a big mess, but as we ring in this New Year, sing praises to the Lord. God gave us Jesus to wash away the dismal future we once had, and in our life we have hope.

We may need to change things about ourselves to find success. We may need to go to great lengths, but if the juice is worth the squeeze then it’s worth it. If we think we’ve lost our way, turn to the Lord and find our way back. Don’t dwell on the setbacks this last year. Focus on the possibilities and embrace the fire needed to make it happen. Set your goals and go for it. Set your sights, breath, aim, shoot, and you can hit your target God willing.

While I am not sure what or where my future holds, I know I will be taken care of because I have faith in the Lord. I have the utmost faith that I will be provided for, and that God will not forsake me. Say goodbye to the year, and celebrate that you are still here. You’ve survived, you’ve overcome, you’re still fighting, and have optimism for tomorrow.