Well, it's that time of year again. The time of change, transition, and challenge. Everyone, every single day, is facing some sort of challenge. The degree of difficulty varies of course, but that doesn't change the fact that everyone is struggling with something. Whether you are about to graduate high school or college, looking for a new job, about to get married or start a family, struggling with loss, or preparing to undertake any new adventure, the following words are for you. I hope they help.

It is okay to be afraid. Feeling fear and even acknowledging it in the face of the unknown is not cowardly. Courage and bravery are not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome it. Being brave is standing up and giving a class presentation even though public speaking is worse than death for you. Courage is getting behind the wheel to drive for the first time, or for the first time after an accident. Bravery is going up to that stranger and starting a conversation instead of putting in your headphones.

Courageous people do not choose comfort, they choose a challenge, and for everyone that looks different. We are not meant to be fearless, but to fight regardless of fear. Making a difference in the world around you doesn't have to be something huge and dramatic. To a starving man, the one who gives him something to eat is more important than the most famous or successful person you can think of. To the lonely girl, the person who chooses to talk to her and be her friend means more than you could ever know. Success in life is not measured in numbers, it is measured in impact, as in the impact you allow God to make through you on the lives of those around you.

Now, don't let the weight of decisions drag you down. We all get so hung up on choosing the "right path" for our lives. Who gave us the free will to make those decisions though? Who says it really matters what college, career, etc. we choose for ourselves? If there's one thing I can say with the utmost confidence, it is that regardless of where you go, God will use you there. Yes, He has a plan for you, but it is not your place to know what that plan is, so just do your best and let Him figure out the rest. He will never leave your side. There is literally nothing so horrible you can do that God will abandon you. Just do your best to make the kindest decisions you can. Hold open that door. Pay for someone's meal. Give genuine compliments. Smile! Simply smiling at someone can make their day so much brighter! Be who you need when you're hurting because every day you come into contact with people who need that encouragement.

Finally, remember that you matter. Those who need to hear that often struggle the most to understand it, so let me explain why. You matter because God created you. You matter because you have a purpose in this world, and will impact hundreds of thousands of lives around you. We have all had our hearts touched by those around us, even strangers. Can you imagine how much then, your actions impact your loved ones? If you think that for some misguided reason that you do not matter, that God doesn't have a plan for you and that no one loves you well, first off you're wrong. Secondly, change that! Go be kind and you will see how much you can matter. Go be Jesus to people. No, you don't have to go perform miracles or flip tables in a temple or be crucified. I'm saying go have meals with people in need of friends. I'm saying go clean up the trash in the park. I'm saying go make a difference, and don't stress the big stuff. One step at a time friend, and soon you will get where you are meant to be. Go seize this glorious day!