On the cusp of the new year, it isn't hard to think about change. Thoughts about change come in many forms- you might be thinking about all the things that changed in your life this last year, or you might be wanting to make changes and resolutions for the new year. Even still, you might be wondering about the changes that are to come in the near future.

If you are anything like me, then you struggle in the middle ground between excitement and idle fear when it comes to the unknown. I don't know about you, but I know for a fact that 2017 holds a whole lot of unknowns and open-ended chapters to my life story.

I have a particular liking to the word precipice. To stand on a precipice is to stand on a cliff or an overhang, or to be on a cusp of a situation that could hold great peril. It can also mean being on the edge of a success, the edge of a trial or the edge of glory (I had to). No matter how you interpret the word, to stand on a precipice is to be near a situation where the outcome is not clearly defined.

As the sun sets on 2016, the dawning of 2017 illuminates a grand precipice for the world and for me. Babies will be born. People will die. Some will find true love. Some will lose love. Friendships will be forged and friendships will be broken. High schoolers and college students will receive their hard-earned diplomas and degrees, and career paths will be decided and started. Hearts will be broken, hearts will be mended. Some will catch the travel bug. Peace and equality might be discovered in new ways. Diseases and wars can be spread or eradicated. The sun might set, and we pray to God that the sun might rise again. Either way, every new day brings more unknowns, some more exciting than others.

When the celebration dies down and the smoke from the fireworks clears, what lies ahead for 2017?

I have seen this quote by Margaret Atwood many places. It says;

"Thrown over a precipice, you fall or else you fly."

My hope for all is that no matter what comes your way, whether you stand on the precipice of promise and peril, gosh I hope you fly. Take the leap of faith, and pray and hope for the best in everything that follows. I hope God blesses our world with times of love, understanding, and peace. And even if there is peril beyond the grand precipice somewhere, my hope is that we will find the collective strength and heart to face it head-on.

My absolute favorite quote of all time is from the pen of author Ann Brashares.

"To brave the undertow, we had learned to hold hands."

In the face of grand and mysterious unknowns, on the dawn of the new year, I know that we can handle everything when we realize that we are never alone. No matter what the next year of life throws our way, threatening to sweep us off our feet and derail us from the path, there is always a hand to hold. I am blessed have friends and family that will always be there to hold my hand, and it is with their support that I find the courage to trust God and plunge into the unknown. Whatever is in my future, whatever stands beyond the precipice for me, I am ready to face what lies ahead.

For this new year, this is my wish for all-

I hope you remember that there is always a hand to hold.

I hope you realize that there is always light that will flood the darkness.

I hope you trust God in all things....

And when you face the precipice and take that leap of faith, gosh I hope you fly.