Hope for a New Year

2016 had it’s ups and downs for sure but overall it wasn’t a horrible year for our family. There were a lot of hard things we endured but we also got to celebrate a lot too. I’m not much of a goal setter when it comes to the new year but I do like to look back at my year and see what I’d like to improve or change. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and constantly struggle with the same things and we aren’t even aware of it. So, I like to look at the areas of my life that are hard and think about ways I can change so they become less of a burden.

Each new year brings a new hope that things in our life may improve but we must adjust our actions if we want things to change. Hope is what drives us to make changes. We have hope because we know that we were designed for better things.

My prayer for this year is that when circumstances get tough and life seem overwhelming that we have hope. Hope that we are called to something bigger than just today. Hope that our circumstances do not dictate our attitude and actions. Hope that our hard work will lead us toward a life that is full, not perfect but fulfilled.

So as I look back at 2016 I reflect upon the good times that brought me so much joy. But I also look at the hard things that taught me how to look past my circumstances and to find the joy, find the hope.