HAPPY NEW YEAR. Now that it is finally 2017, let's focus on how we can make this year a great one! So I know everyone has heard of the phrase, "New Year, New Me", but is it true?

Is a new year really going to make us brand new as well?

No. It's not. A new year is just a calendar page turned. It's just a clock that hit midnight on a different day. When a new year starts, it's not a re-start button. It doesn't mean that all of our problems that we had from the year before are all gone. Of course if you fix your problems and/or forget/move on from them, then you're good to go! Most people, however, do not think this way. They feel as if they have a new start, a new chance to redeem themselves. In some situations this can be very true and possible! But for others? Maybe not so much.

Now don't think I'm one to hate on New Years Resolutions, because I'm not, but I do think about them in a different way. I think of them as a, "how can I better myself this year", kinda thing. I don't think of certain goals that I have to reach or else my year is ruined. Of course I have goals that I WILL obtain, but it's not just a goal that starts on New Years. It's a goal I've had before New Years. I couldn't say it better than this article right here.

A new year will not erase your issues or your past. But do you know what can? God and He's been here all along. He's the ultimate starter pack for a new start. Want to hit that re-do button and start fresh? Have a new life? God's got it. He's been offering it to people for as long as time has existed. He created time.

The thing is, it's not that hard to start fresh through Him. All you have to do is accept that He is Lord and repent. Most people freak out when they hear the word, 'repent'. But newsflash...it's not a bad word. It's a word full of grace and beauty that saves us and serves as our big, red, shiny re-do button. Hit that button and you're gold. (Literally walking on gold streets.)

If you've been an abuser or the abused, there's hope for you. If you've been a victim of drug and alcohol, there's hope for you too. If you've made choices that you regret, or maybe just aren't living in the right path, there's grace for you. There's hope and grace and beauty and love for anyone and everyone who wants to accept it. Accept God and repent. It's not all rainbows and butterflies when you become a follower of Christ, but you sure do have someone to hold you up when life knocks you down.

I look forward to a New Year, everyday.

And so can you. Do you want to keep waiting around each year for what God can do for you everyday?