Happy New Year!

As 2012 comes to a close, I am reflecting over another year gone-by......I am grateful for SO many things that God did for me this year.  It's difficult to put them all into words, really.
There have been extreme highs and some pretty deep lows.....times of tremendous growth and points of frustration from a stubborn heart that refuses to change.
There were injustices we had to suffer through and endure...and blessings that we could never begin to be deserving of!
There was the joy of watching my daughter graduate from High School in the spring.....and the bitter sweetness of watching her move into her college dorm in the fall.
There was the thrill of seeing my son play Varsity football in his final season.....and the sheer devastation of watching him go down on the field with a torn ACL.
There have been moments of intense physical pain, but there were also times when God's grace covered me in such a way that I was able to accomplish way more than my physical constraints could otherwise possibly attempt.
We have witnessed terrible acts that have wreaked havoc in our nation.....and we have seen one another rise to the occasion in effort to reach out to those in incredible need.

So here we are at the start of 2013.  It isn't unlike any other new year, I suppose....and yet, each year it feels like somewhere we've never been before.  There will be "resolutions" made and new goals set just like any other January 1st.  It's the perfect time to think about starting over.  A fresh beginning for developing new habits, attaining goals, or creating a "new you".  It's the exact thing that God wants to do in each one of us, if we let Him.  It is His goal to make us new from the inside out.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  old things have passed away;  behold, all things have become new." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am thankful for new beginnings, clean slates and a fresh start.  As I seek to make some changes in my life in 2013, I am committing to yield to God's plans for me.  I will be striving to seek Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength --- if I don't, I know I will utterly fail at being renewed.  I know that He has plans to prosper me.  To give me hope for what He has in store for my future.
"See, I am making everything new!" ~ Revelation 21:5
Happy New Year!!!