For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those  who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.  From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  Therefore is anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold the new has come.  2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ESV

I retired in 2011 which was good, however in late 2011 my niece, who was 3 weeks old at the time, almost died.  She was hospitalized on 12/23/2011.  It made for a rough ending for that year.  In November 2012 my dad was hospitalized and passed away in April 2013.  In 2014, my mom went through a severe grieving process after losing my dad.  In 2015 my mom fell and fractured her hip and we spent months helping her get through physical therapy.  She was diagnosed with dementia during this time.  In 2016, our family had a large disagreement which landed us in the district court.  This disagreement caused a great deal of bickering and hurt feelings within our family and was not resolved until just a few months ago.  In 2016, our pastor and dear friend, whose family had become like our family, passed away.  Through the grieving process, our church did not do so well and suffered a split in August of this year.  Looking back I can say that the last few years have had some major rough spots.  But in just two short days we will welcome in 2018.  I have a dear friend who tends to be a bit pessimistic due to her life’s circumstances.  She and her sister used to always call each other on January 1st and wish each other a “crappy new year”.  They felt as though every year was bad and they had no hope or expectation for it to be any better.  I have to tell you, though, I have great hope for 2018.

Now you may be reading this and think how could I possibly have hope after all our family has been through and our church family has been through.  Well it’s like this.  You see in 2011 on 12/23 they told us that our niece would most likely not survive the night and that if she did, she would be severely neurologically damaged.  She not only survived but she is beautiful and extremely intelligent.  This is the same six year old niece that told me it doesn’t matter what people get you for Christmas, its just nice that they get you a present.  God gave us a miracle for Christmas that year.  In 2012 my Dad’s health began to decline and he passed away in 2013.  Now my Dad was just 24 days shy of his 86th birthday when he passed away.  I was so grateful for the time that I did have with him.  I was also extremely grateful for his salvation.  You see, he was baptized just five short years prior to his death.  So no matter how much I missed him, I knew where he was.  He was in heaven with his relatives that had gone before him and with God our Father. In 2014, God brought our family to a wonderful Christian Counselor who was a huge help to my mom with her grieving process.  This Christian Counselor also inspired me to go back and get my certification in Christian Counseling. You see I already had the degree and had thought that counseling just wasn’t for me, but I realized that Christian Counseling was what I wanted to do. In 2015 even though my mom fell and fractured her hip, we were blessed to have a wonderful woman come and live with her.  This woman was there for her at night and still is.  Ms. Betty has truly been a blessing to our family.  I call her a Godsend because that is exactly what she is.  God worked it out perfectly for Ms. Betty to be able to come and live with my mom.  In 2016, though the family feud was really hard on our family, but God never left us nor did he forsake us.  His word held true.  It was a year of learning.  I learned that no matter how bleak it may look, God truly does work all things for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose.  I also learned that vengeance really is His. I learned that He will deal harsher with someone who comes against His children than we could ever imagine.  In 2017, I embarked on the adventure of starting a new church with our current pastor, his wife, and our church family.  It has been a wonderful experience.  You may look at my life and say “wow, you have had a rough few years!”  I look at my life and say, “I am so grateful that I serve an awesome God who never lets me down”. My hope for 2018 is not about what I can do, it’s about what God can do through me.  I know that I am nothing without Him.  And I also know that He’s got this!

So I look toward 2018 with excitement and great anticipation.  I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with our family and our church.  You see I know what God has done with me.  If he can cleanse me of my sin and make me a new creature, he can do anything.  I am stubborn and it took me a long time to just let go and let God, but once I did, it was awesome!  He can cleanse you and make you new too.  If you are someone who does not have a relationship with the Lord, there is no time like the present.  You can ring in 2018 as a new creation!  If you have a good relationship with the Lord, then now is a good time to renew that commitment.

God is faithful, He is just, and He is good to his children.  If you are not a child of God, you can be adopted into His family.  Just believe and receive Him as your savior.

My prayer for you is that you give yourself to God in this new year.  I have never regretted giving it all to God.  I was just messing it all up anyway.  So as you think about this new year, think about what you need to change or improve on and get busy.

Have a blessed New Year!!