TEN years, it’s been TEN years since Taylor Swift sang of finding her sweet Romeo, Katy Perry kissed a girl and liked it, and Shawty had them apple bottom jeans and boots with fur. It sure does feel like each and every year since 2008 we all set goals we do not plan on keeping and post pictures on New Year’s Day with the same silly caption, “new year, new me” And then by mid-February those goals are as good as trash. Yes, yes it does. How about we change that? How about us millennial’s change the coarse of time and do something radical in 2018? Let’s LOVE a little more and hate a little less. Let’s GIVE a little more and get a little less. Let’s SMILE a little more and frown a little less.

Some of you may be thinking, how do I Love, Give, and Smile more? In Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” To those of us who grew up in the church, we have heard this a million times. We think we understand what this is saying. The question I am asking is, do we really LOVE the LORD our GOD with ALL our heart and ALL our soul and with ALL our strength. I will admit that I do not; I fall short of the glory of GOD. In 2018, may we all strive to LOVE the LORD more and HATE the things that the LORD does not LOVE. In 2018, let’s also GIVE more and GET less. When did we become so stinking entitled that we always have to get a reward? Living in the United States in 2017, was scary and so many negative and destructive things happened. The one event that happened during 2017, that made me smile was when J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans raised over $37 million dollars for Hurricane Harvey recovery. There are interviews of J.J. saying that he wanted no praise for his effort, he just wanted to help a broken and hurting community. He just wanted to help, and help without the expectation of a reward. Why don’t we all agree to make 2018, the year where we GIVE without the expectation that we have to GET anything in return? In 2018, I pray so hard, that we all may SMILE more and FROWN less. I am so sick of everyone right around college finals time, posting about how there life is a mess and they are so done with their classes. Let’s make 2018, the year where we SMILE because we get to go to College. Let’s make 2018, the year where we SMILE because we have the ability to wake up every day and see the world in front of us. Instead of FROWNING at the sight of Art Appreciation on our class schedules, and FROWNING because we don’t have time to stop at Starbucks (or Java City) before class. Let’s SMILE because GOD is allowing us to pursue our dreams and passions at such a place. I pray that we leave the FROWNING in 2017 and bring the SMILING into 2018! Let’s make 2018, the greatest year yet and my prayer for any one reading this is that you make it a goal to LOVE, GIVE, and SMILE more in 2018!!