New Year, New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

It is funny how it seems like the new year always comes surprisingly fast. We know the year only has 365 days, yet we still say, "Man, this year flew by fast." I guess the old adage is true...the older you get, the faster time flies. Nevertheless, here we are, the first day into a brand new year.

If you're anything like the rest of us, you have spent some time reflecting on the past year and all that came with it - the good and the bad. You've also set some 'new year resolutions' that you are hoping to accomplish. Inherently, the new year brings about the opportunity to reset, or refresh, our goals and even our perspective. There's a feeling in the air of excitement and refreshment. For some of us, there's the feeling of hopefulness...hope that this year will be the year that we finally reach new heights, grow in our relationship with God, and make new accomplishments.

There's nothing wrong with any of this. In fact, I believe it's healthy. We all need a "reset" moment every now and then.

When I was a kid, I was never much into video games, primarily because I was not very good at them. My brother, on the other hand, was a different story - he was a master at video games. For me though, I could never seem to win at the video games. Often times, in a moment of frustration, when I couldn't pass a level of a game, I'd get mad and turn off the game, or reset the console. For that split moment, I'd feel a slight relief from the pressure of the game. But the moment the reset was over, I'd eventually find myself back at the same level, and the same moment of frustration.

I share that, because I think that is how many of us approach the new year. We've been here before. We've said "this is the year" before. We've said we were going to accomplish that goal before. And we start of the year strong with the desire to really make this year 'the year'. But what happens along the way? We lose our focus, we face obstacles, we deal with loss, or we just get discouraged and we ultimately find ourselves back in the same place.

Here's the point. You can only reset so many times before you eventaully are back at the same spot. In order to move forward, you must win and advance to the next level.

So this year, here's my personal prayer and my prayer for you. Do not repeat the same mistakes you made last year. Do not let this year be another year of facing the same struggles. Make this year the year of winning. The year of new beginnings.

God has a great purpose and plan for each of us. We simply must yield to His voice and to His will and allow Him to write our story.

There is so much more I want to say, but for now, I will end this post by prayerfully wishing you and your family a Happy New Year and the peace of God over your life!

All the best,

Gabe Gonzalez