Living for something more in 2017

2017 is here! 

The year is wide open with endless possibilities. 
As December came to an end, I kept seeing posts on Facebook about how many people didn’t like what this past year held for their life. Many people wanted it to be 2017 already so that this last chapter could close and be over with. 2016 was a crazy historic year for many people, especially with the presidential election, but you know what? Every day of last year shaped this year. We may have wanted last year to end so badly that we forgot to live in the here and now, and the motions of everyday became more routine instead of doing everything with a purpose. However, each day should be lived intentionally. As the body of Christ we have so much to give this world. We have a joy that not many people have access to. We have a hope that has come and redeemed us from the road of destruction we had been traveling before we were saved (Matthew 7:13). We have an indescribable love of a father that won’t leave us because he cares for us in a way we will never understand (1 Peter 5:7).

Each of us have a purpose in life, something that God created just for us. God states in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” He set each and every one of us apart in our gifts, talents, and struggles. Each of the experiences we face is completely tailored to us. No one else has your life, so if we are constantly waiting for the next big thing in our life, because of the bad stuff that happened recently, then we are missing out. God has a
 plan for our life, and I know we all are searching for a hint of what it is. Many of us may believe that if we can just get to the next big thing than we would be on God’s plan. However, we don’t know what God’s ultimate plan for our life is. I wish we did, but we don’t. The only thing we know for sure is that Christ died for us so that we could have an abundant life (John 10:10). So, as this year kicks off, try giving every day to God instead of waiting for the next big event that is supposed to happen in your life. Life each day with the intention that you are made for something great. That each event that happens in your life is another stepping stone to where God is taking you. Let this year be lived out with a purpose and not with the thought of “Oh maybe next year I will do this” or “next year I will do that”. No, let it happen this year. Although, if it literally can’t happen till next year, start preparing for it now. Prepare yourself for what God may bring along the way.


Jump into where God is leading you with a joyful heart.
I want to leave you with this last Bible verse. I believe that this year will hold great things for all of us. There will be mountains to climb, valleys to conquer, but through it all He will be with us. This year let us not complain about the things that life throws at us. I know we often hear rejoice in our struggles, and it’s a hard thing to do, so I’m not going to remind you of that. Instead I want to leave you with this, “Do all things without complaining or disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the world of life” (Philippians 2:14-15). 

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