2016 has had its fair share of laughs, hurts, tears, adventures, and changes. I have grew a part from people, but moved closer to others. I have grown in faith and also had my faith tested in ways I could of never imagined. I have learned a lot, and made some mistakes down the road. I have cried harder than I thought I could, but laughed even harder. I've moved into an apartment and left the comforts of the dining hall. (right) I've changed my mind six million times. I've been given new opportunities that worked out in unbelievable ways and some that didn't. I have been braver. I have been more vulnerable. I have been broken. As I go into these last few days of December and first few of January, I keep thinking about those new year resolutions. Be braver. Live life fuller. Love better. Forgive better. Believe bigger. All these things are great and needed in my life, but this year I think one of the biggest realizations is that 2017 isn't just opening a new year, but it is indeed closing another.

Some of us forget that. We get all excited about all the new, fresh starts.. but we are still carrying around our baggage from the past year.. and year before that.. and year before that.. I don't know bout ya'll but I struggle just walking up the stairs, much less carrying any kind of luggage. How can we expect to move forward with our dreams, our endeavors, our passions, and our goals when we are weighty? As much as I would love to say "oh, I got this," I don't. I'm not strong enough nor was I meant to be. I was meant to lay my hurt, shame, guilt, insecurity, depression, doubt, and confusion down at the feet of Jesus and say " You, Jesus, got this." I forget, oh so quickly, do I forget that Jesus has this. He never intended for us to carry around that rejection year to year. He doesn't even want us to carry it day to day. He never wanted us to feel the burden of shame over and over again. He never needed me to try to keep everything in little, tidy compartments under my bed so others don't see. He doesn't want you and I to keep going, going, going, and never laying our hurts, successes, tears, and trust at His feet. This year, close the door on shame. On hurt. On betrayal. On failures. On mistakes. On anger. On bitterness. On unforgiveness. On relationships that broke your heart. On things that didn't quite go as planned. On those bags and bags of baggage.. drop it. It is finished. The Word, which is full of truth, says His mercies are new each morning. In our world, that seems hard because the pain is real and tangible. The worry is real. The wound is open. But, what is the point of Jesus if it isn't for moments like this? Moments where we feel heavy. We feel helpless. We feel less than hopeful. The beauty of this new year is it is the perfect time to pack up our bags and send them on their way. Where we scoop up the weighty parts of our hearts and say, " Jesus, here I am, here is my heart, I want to move forward."

Let's do that. Let's do that together. Write it out. Write out what you want to leave behind. If you're anything like me, sometimes leaving something behind is super duper difficult. You want to hold on even when it hurts because it is better than not feeling anything. But the best thing about Jesus is he doesn't just burn it up and it disappears. He transforms our dark parts into parts that radiate love, grace, and power. He uses those stories to reach his other children, through you when you hand the broken to Him so He can make it whole. Through the testimony of Jesus turning our dead hearts into full, life giving stories of His restoration of our pasts. Leave 2016 where it belongs. Take the lessons learned, but realize the past is exactly that, the past. Our God is forgiving and delights in showing mercy to his children. Walk in that, fully. Believe bigger. Love better. Live life fuller. Move into better things a bit lighter this year. Letting go so Jesus can do His handy work is worth it and so much better than anything we could ever do.