Starting New Means Finishing Well.....

I don't believe in New Years Resolutions. I despise them actually. It sets you up for failure, defeat and disappointment. A Year is such a long time to make any promises....

Ask me how I know this.


I still carry the weight I resolved to lose, My house gets messier as life gets more complicated and my organization skills are still lacking. Those are just some of the disappointments I have on my list.

I cringe at the empty promises people make this time of year. And the words.... I don't like them either.

Life has a way of beating you down the moment you bring your head above water for a gulp of air. The weight of the New Year often is felt by mid-January...

And there we are sinking again.... with the new pressures of our fresh promises made just the week before. We sink further and further down and by February our resolutions are drowned.

Laying at the bottom of the ocean. Defeated, forgotten and washed away...

Don't get me wrong. I adore a fresh start. The idea of shedding the old and embracing the NEW gives me more hope than I ever had all year. Excitement cannot be denied but I view the changing of the calendar so differently.

Although I name each and every week of the year on Sunday, I don't name my year until the very end. It doesn't make sense.... But nothing I do ever does. I've always worked against the grain.

It's how I roll I guess....

But this past year I named GRACE. I named it last week after a time of reflection....I learned to Give it and receive it. I am learning to judge less and give Grace more....And I am still learning.

I am softening to the reality that God's grace is abundant and deserving.....

God has shown me that our souls crave Grace...

In a world that is hard, cold and unforgiving, our spirits cry out for someone to pour Grace into them....

Looking back, THIS is what I have learned and THIS is what I will hold onto a I enter 2016.

Instead of carrying the weight of empty ambitions and unknowns, I am going to stand on the solid foundation of what I learned in 2015.

Under my feet lies a solid rock of truth that has gotten me through the past 12 months. Hard lessons learned and stories of faith to share.

The truth is, I have no clue what 2016 holds. To me, it's an empty canvas..... white blank space that can throw anything my way.

And I refused to sink under the weight of what lies ahead....

Instead I will stand firmly on the truths I already know....

And by placing my feet firmly on the rock of His grace, I can hold my head above the water and never be pushed under. I can raise my hands and take in the sweet air knowing that whatever is placed on my shoulders, I will stand firm.

I'm going to enter 2016 using the lessons I have learned,  Helmet of protection on and God's Promises by my side.

I don't know what God has in store for me or my family but I want to be prepared. I want to be qualified and equipped at the endless possibilities....


I want to keep my hope and my vision. I want to use what I learned to make the next year better than the last.

I want to pray my dreams into reality using the tools He has given me....

THIS is how I view my New Year....

How do you view yours?