This year has been an interesting one, to say the least. I’ve seen struggles and hardships not just in my own life, but in the lives of so many people I know. I’ve also seen what the gift of healing can do in myself and others. I’ve seen people, including myself, wishing for 2016 to be over. My thought and question the other night were, “Why do people want 2016 to be over? Just because the calendar flips back to January and we start a new year, doesn’t mean that everything that happened in 2016 will disappear. Those trials and tribulations still exist, regardless of a new calendar year.

A friend of mine told me that, in her opinion, the reason people want the year to end and a new year to begin, is because we, as Christians, put our hope into that “new beginning” feeling that we’ve had once in our lives. Just as Jesus wiped away our sins and gave us a fresh and clean heart in him, we start the year over with the mindset of a new, fresh, and clean beginning.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to a fresh start and a new year just as much as you are. I’m not saying that I don’t understand this change of a new year and new beginnings, what I’m saying is that a new year doesn’t mean things that happened in the past are forgotten completely and we start anew with a mindset of, “Well, okay, it’s a new year. Now it’s time to move on!”

Yes, we should put the hurt behind us and focus on the healing, but why does that have to start only in the new year? Why doesn’t that start today? Since when is the new year the only reason for a new season in our life? Why doesn’t that start whenever you want the change in your life to start?

We should be seeking to make the change we want in our lives. I understand there are some certain situations that you must wait it out until something happens or doesn’t happen or someone else is the one calling the shots and what not. However, when the ball is in our court, and we’re sitting there wondering why nothing is happening, we should be the ones to toss the ball to God and give him our problems. We should be the ones to take the step or leap of faith to change where we are in lives.

I want 2017 to be a year where I see a change in myself and improvements. I know I’m not perfect and I never will be, but I can strive closer to God each day, and I know I will see that change and I will be closer to him in this next year. It’s something that was rocky for me this past year, and that’s something that I want to change. I want to make the change I want to see in my life. 2017 will be a year of continual healing from 2016 and 2015 and so on, but a year where there is a stronger warrior fighting the battles life throws at me. Each day, week, month, year, I become a stronger warrior able to fight the battles and win the wars faster and easier and, with God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.