Live In the Moment

2015 is almost over and a New Year will begin. Most people start a new year with resolutions in hopes of creating a “better year”.  I am not big on New Year’s Resolutions because personally I feel that most of the time they are abandoned within the first month if not the first couple of weeks. However, the last 3-4 years I have been happy to see the years end and have anxiously looked forward to the upcoming year.

The beginning of a new year as well as most new experiences holds promises and hopes. Each year I have held tightly to the hope that the upcoming year would bring less pain and less worry than the year that was ending. This year is no different in terms of my hopes of a happier and “lighter” year. However, I leave 2015 with somewhat of a different outlook.

 This year I focus on three thoughts rather than one:

 

1. I want to reflect on the past and cherish what I have learned. We have all had situations that have hurt and wounded us in our past. Some of the situations we created and some we have no control of. We can choose to handle the past several different ways. We can run from it and never look back; we can hang on to it and let it define us; or we can view each experience, good or bad, as something that made us grow. Our past is what shapes us and makes us what we are today. I can honestly say that I do not want to repeat the terrible experiences, but I do cherish what I have learned from them. I have learned that God’s grace is there, even in the worst of times and that He never leaves us alone. Look back on the year and reflect on the bad and the good. The bad times teach us lessons and the good times give us memories.
2. I want to look forward to the future with faith and anticipation that things will work for good. I want to look for the good in my day- to- day life and look for the good in others. Our thoughts are the beginning of our actions. A positive attitude will lead to positive actions. I want to walk in love toward others and make a difference everyday. This isn’t a resolution, but a mindset. I want to have faith that God is in control and will take care of me. Jer. 29:11- “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future”.
3. I want to live in the moment. I am guilty of spending too much time dwelling on the past and wondering what I could have done to make things different. I struggle with blaming myself for anything that has gone wrong. I also spend a lot of time worrying about the future. I analyze every detail and think of every possible scenario. I hope this year to spend more time in the moment. I have lost precious time from living in the past and worrying about the future. I believe that God designed us to live in the moment. He placed us here for such a time as this.

This year I hope to cherish the past, have faith for the future, and live for the moment that I am in.