Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 41

Perspective

[image error]Lately, I’ve been getting my inspiration for my posts as I sit on an exercise bike in the gym. Today, it was once again as I was sitting, but this time behind my computer at work. I am a CPA in a public accounting firm, which means I am very busy now with the crunch of April 15th being 3 weeks away. It is easy to focus on ones own troubles when you are stressed and tired. I went into work after church today and turned on my Jesus music pretty loudly to get some uplifting vibes. Earlier this week I posted about Miracles which came to me after listening to Jesus Cultures song, “Miracles.” Interesting title. What I didn’t hear was the speech snip-it right before the song which spoke of how the writers wrote the song. The song was birthed during the time of their child’s death to proclaim that God is still good and can still perform miracles, even if the outcome wasn’t the way they hoped and prayed.

Let’s just say, after hearing that one minute sermon, my perspective flipped. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at my job, I felt blessed. I have a job when so many people in this world do not. I have I job that I actually wanted and went to school for. I have a job that pays me well enough to have a checking account, which signifies that I am in the top 1% of wealthiest people in the world. I’m not saying that to boast, because if you have a checking account, guess what, you are in the top 1% as well. It is so easy to wear a negative hat, but it’s also very easy to take off that veil of defeat and wear a crown blessedness.

I had a friend a few months ago that commented about a book she was reading on how to train yourself to look for things to be grateful for. She mentioned how she started keeping a journal and writing down her blessings. I remember her say, “At first it was easy, God I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my home, and so on, but after weeks of coming up with different things it started to get hard.” She said, “I started to write down anything, God I’m thankful for Oxygen that allows me to breathe, I’m thankful for the moon that I can see at night, I started straining to find things, but there was always things to write.” Sometimes I wonder do we quit looking for the blessings? We get so accustomed to our blessings that we quit calling them blessings even though that is what they are even if we don’t identify them as such. How spoiled I have become.

We complain about the rainstorms, but doesn’t every cloud have a silver lining? What if the rain is just a healthy means of cleansing off the dirt in our life? Or what if the clouds are used to shelter us from the suns unknown harmful rays of contentment and lukewarm attitude? What if the glass is only half full because it only takes a couple of teaspoons of water to drown and God knows that all we can handle or need is a few drops right now?

We all know the expression about lemons and making lemonade, but it hit me today driving home from work. What if there is more to it than just making lemonade? What if God gives us lemons in life to make lemonade, but instead of us enjoying a glass alone, He wants us to share our pitcher with someone else who is thirsty? What if every thing that happens in life can truly be used to share His grace with others?

I love the line by Martin Luther, “We are all mere beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.”

Life can be summed up with this line by Martin Luther. We all have drama, scars, regrets, deadlines, and gunk in our life that weighs us down. No one is exempt. Sorry. Sometimes it takes someone else to point the direction we need to go to find some hope. Usually, when they point the way they will also walk it with you if you want some company.

Ginny Owens sings about this on her album Long Way Home on the song “Fellow Traveler.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ygj3IS7buWA

I’m not here to brag and boast about myself, I’m just a man trying to point other travelers where they can find hope. He is my Hope. He is my Joy. He is all that and so much more and I hope this little blog of mine points towards only His glory and not mine. The only reason I have these words is because He first said them to me. So now, let me point not to myself, but to Him. The Giver of Hope.

Peace

Miracle

[image error]We are approaching the time of triumphs and the enduring of tragedies, we are on the precipice for the making of heroes and the cheering on of underdogs, we are on the brink of unbridled school spirit and the discovery of what color your blood bleeds. It’s March Madness time. It’s also the time for deep moments of prayer and meditation when your team is at the foul line with 4 seconds to go. If Santa’s elves work overtime from Thanksgiving to a Christmas, I wonder if the next few weeks is God’s busy time for prayers. Sadly, Easter is not the reason for this tidal wave of heartfelt devotion and reflection.

I love to hear the stories of a 15 seed defeating the huge favorite. To cheer on the underdogs who statistically have very little chance to overcome the Goliath’s in the Basketballs hall of fame. There is something reassuring that even when the cards are stacked against you, miracles can still happen. Not only in basketball, but in life.

I cling heavily to this verse. “Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”” Luke 18:27 NIV

I don’t know how people can go about life without believing in miracles. Hoping in miracles. Expecting miracles. Call me a dreamer, but I believe Christ’s words are as much alive and breathing today as they were when He said them. I believe He still says them, He whispers them in our ear when we see the mountains, when we face the walls, when we hear the doctors prognosis, when we paddle our boat into the storm. I believe He reminds us that miracles still happen all the time, but so often we consider them second nature and miss the blessing in the miraculous. Every time the sun rises, a butterfly leaves its cocoon, a flower unfolds in the sunlight, geese returning north after winter leaves. People can say this is nature, but I see God’s fingerprints. I say this time and again, it’s all about perspective. I prefer to live in the camp believing God is capable than dwelling in the valley of defeat. When I let go of the hope of miracles, I have figuratively slapped God in His face. By doubting that He can do it, I’m telling Him that He isn’t God enough to handle this situation, this hurdle, this sickness, this fear. When I cause my burden to outweigh God’s sovereignty, the scales will never be made right until I realize that my mountain of fear is but molehills of dirt in God’s hand. Once I see my God is bigger than the mountains I created, I can rest in the loving hands that sculpted Mt. Everest. My worries are but grains of sand in the grand scheme of life. So it’s time to shake off the dust and believe in a miracle. It’s time to shake off the dust and pick yourself up to the life God ordained for you. It’s time to shake things up a little and know that if you rely on Him, everything will fall into place. If He can form all that we see and don’t see, surely He can handle our temporary troubles that weigh us down.

So shake it off and await for a miracle to happen.

What do you have to lose?

I bet living with hope will make living a little better. I heard someone say and it’s so true, “impossible and I’m possible uses the same letters.” So, how are you using them?

peace

Storms

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Springtime is approaching. Birds are chirping outside my window signaling rebirth and new life. The warmth of the suns once forgotten rays allows me to roll my windows down as I drive and feel the wind in my hair. Trees are budding, flowers delicate yet strong stems are breaking through the earth, and the sky is even bluer. Don’t you just love springtime. Toss aside those winter coats and scarves, warmth is coming.

Gratitude should abound with spring, but with with the abundance of blessings comes the season of storms. Life and weather are very similar.

Today there was a tornado outbreak that caused havoc and damage with torrential downpours and powerful winds. While sitting in my office, in the safe confines, I would look out the window and see the black threatening sky. The wind howled as they whipped trees like disobedient three year old kids. Buckets of rain flowed, sometimes so hard it was hard to see anything in a reasonable distance. When you’re in a storm, you don’t feel like heaven is raining blessings. You feel like it’s drowning and eroding your solid ground. It’s so easy to only see destruction when your watching it’s wrath, and harder to see the purpose in it all. It’s easy to pray to God for safety from the storms, it’s harder to realize that the storm was created by His mighty hands.

You may be going through a storm right now. You may feel beaten, crushed, fragmented, torn to bits with little hope. You may be clinching your fists in the middle of your rubble cursing out to God. These may be hard words to hear, but maybe the storm was meant to destroy what you thought was good so God could reveal something so much greater but you would never have seen it because what you thought was good was what you already had? Sometimes God has to break us apart, brick by brick, to build us up stronger than ever before. When we rely on our own dream home for security and protection, we miss out on the relationship of fully leaning and clinging onto the One who will defend and protect no matter the cost. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to see God. But through those tough moments in life you can rest assured that the God who allowed the storms can also cause the storms to cease. With just a whisper, the winds can stop, the waves can be still, the sun can rise again. With just a whisper of His voice.

It’s all about perspective. One of my favorite verses about perspective is

“He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water His earth and show His love.”

Job 37:13 NIV

You may feel like God is punishing you with what you are going through, but what if God is merely showing you love in His mysterious ways and you can’t even see it? What if is a heavy question to ask oneself, but it’s a question that definitely needs to be asked when you find yourself in a storm.

What if God hasn’t left me?

What if God is still in control?

What if this is in His plans?

What if God really is good?

What if God really loves me?

When you ask, He will answer with an emphatic Yes.

Yes, I do love you and Yes, I am here. Yes, you may be in a low place, but Yes, I haven’t left you. Yes, you can overcome this storm because I already overcame. Yes, yes, yes.

May you see storms as just another means for rain. Without rain the flowers could never bloom. How sad the world would be without those colorful tulips to showcase His creative loving goodness.

Wagon

[image error]I didn’t just fall off the wagon two weeks ago, it rolled back on top of me too.  I started my New Years resolution of no soft drinks and surgery snacks, but when I got sick I needed some comforting.  I needed that soothing, silky touch.  I needed a Dr. Pepper.  Yes, I succumb to temptation and poured my glass of water down the drain and embraced the dark, caffeinated liquid like a moth to a flame.  I felt remorse for a second, followed soon by sweet relief from my parched, scratchy throat.  Now I am feeling well and I have a decision (1) go back to my resolution or (2) carry on the rest of 2019 in a sugary, blissful high.

Life is full of decisions like this.  Maybe not as superficial as mine.

One decision that we each have to make is (1) will I speak words of life or (2) will I speaks words of death?  Will I find the positive in the situation or will I run into the company of misery?  Will I dig in the sand to find joy or will I leave the stones unturned?  A positive outlook isn’t always easy, but what’s the alternative?

With God by my side in any situation how can I dwell in the tents of defeat?  I may be walking through a valley, but that will not deter me from looking up and seeing the shadows of the mountains created by the suns welcoming rays.  I love the line that says, “shadows only prove there’s sunshine.”  You may be in the darkest lows of shifting shadows, but shadows cannot exist without a source of light.  If there was no light, there could be no shadows.  It would just be blackness.  Since there is a shadow there also has to be a light somewhere.  Once you find the object causing your shade, you only have to look a little further to find the source of the light.  Just like in any situation, you can find the source of light if you want to search for it.  It just takes a little searching and some will power.

So, if you find yourself off the wagon, today is the perfect day to get back on it.  There’s no day like the present.  There’s no moment like now.  At the end of the day the only person you can blame for your attitude is yourself.  Situations can try to kick you off the wagon, but it’s your decision to ever get back on it.

Get back on.

So long negative attitudes of doubt and defeat.

An even sadder farewell to my delicious Dr. Pepper.  Until we meet again.

Just as the cleansing of your body of sugar is a good thing, detoxing your mind of pessimism has a much lasting reward.  And who knows, life may appear sweeter even without sugar.

Cling

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This has been a hard week for multiple people I love and hold dear to my heart. Trials rise like skyscrapers at the worst time. Sickness steals the hope of a healthy future. Heartache and grief trample over lives like they are daisies in their path. Life is hard. Life is full of hurts. Life is cruel…yet life is beautiful. In the moments we sit in the heap of our ashes of mourning, those are the moments God’s love and mercy can be felt gentlest. The same hands that hold back the ebb and flow of the raging ocean also tends to the lilies in the meadow where kids joyously run and play. You may not feel like clinging to Him right now, but rest assured He’s clinging onto you. My words may not bring comfort to those that are hurting, but there’s a name that can.

Love has a name…Jesus.

I’ve fallen in love with this song in the last week. No matter what situation you are going through, Christ knows it.

My love has a name

My joy has a name

My hope has a name

My VICTORY has a name

Jesus

My breakthrough is in the one name

My breakthrough is in the one name

Love Has a Name by Jesus Culture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO-3dj33k-I

There’s a space in every beating heart

There’s a longing that reaches past the stars

There’s an answer to every question mark

There’s a name

There’s a hope flowing through these veins

There’s a voice that echoes through the pain

There’s an ember ready for the flame

There’s a name

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

There’s a joy that triumphs over fear

There’s a laughter that wipes away all tears

There’s a presence that changes atmospheres

There’s a name

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

Victory has a name

Victory has a name

Jesus

Joy has a name

Joy has a name

Jesus

The name that’s lifted up forever

The name that shakes the earth and shakes the heavens

The hope for every heart

The Savior of the world

Jesus, Jesus

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus, oh

My victory has a name

Victory has a name

Jesus

Joy has a name

Joy has a name

Jesus

My hope, my hope

My hope has a name

Hope has a name

Jesus, oh

Jesus

Shout his name

Shout his name

Speak his name tonight

No greater name

No greater name

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

Set our eyes on You, Jesus

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

We stand in You

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

Oh, we fix our eyes

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

Sing it again

We will fix our eyes on the One who overcame

We will stand in awe of the One who breaks the chains

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus, oh

Joy has a name

Joy has a name

Jesus, oh

My victory

Has a name, oh

Is the name of Jesus

The name of Jesus, oh

Nothing can stand against

Nothing can stand against

Nothing can stand against, oh

Love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

My joy has a name

Joy has a name

Jesus

Oh, my hope has a name

Hope has a name

It’s the name of Jesus

And my victory is in the warning

My victory is in the wanting

It’s the Name above every other name

Jesus, Jesus

My victory is in the one name

My breakthrough is in the one name

My breakthrough is in the one name

The name of Jesus

The name of Jesus

My breakthrough is in the one name

One name alone

That stands above it all

That stand above every other name

The name, the name of Jesus

Your love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

Your love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

We love Your name

Your love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

We love Your name

Your love has a name

Love has a name

Jesus

May you find comfort in knowing Love has a Name. You are dearly, incredibly loved even now. Even through the pain you are loved.

Peace

Trivia

Tonight I partook with my coworkers our annual trivia night against many teams of more scholarly and educated folks than myself. Or more lucky depending on who you ask. I may not know the planet that has 53 moons or where Reggie Millers’ sister went to college. In instances of guessing right I proverbially pat myself on the back. While in moments of wrong answers, I try to laugh it off telling myself, “Who would know how many total Olympic medals Michael Phelps won?” Just an hour after the question was asked, I still don’t remember the correct answer. It was a lot. Definitely more than me until binge watching Netflix becomes an event.

In life there are moments when we guess. We hope for the best. We see both sides of the coin and realize that either path we walk down will lead us forward. Maybe not to the same finish line, but in those moments of choosing left or right, who can know which path is the better one.

Socrates said, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”

I sometimes can relate. Just like tonight there were questions that I threw my hands up in the air and said, “I have no clue.” I have heard it said it’s better to say you don’t know than pretend you do and then be proved wrong and foolish. Tonight I was proved wrong multiple times. I would have staked some valuable things on a few questions, only to be wrong. Ego deflation had commenced. Luckily my friends just laughed along with me.

I can say in all honesty, that I don’t know as much as I would like to think I know.

Sara Groves sings in one of her songs,

This is the one thing I know

You said you won’t let me go

You said you won’t let me go

When everything shifts and settles in the world, the only thing I know with complete certainty is that God won’t let me go. That I cannot rest on my own accomplishments, I cannot bask in my own successes, I cannot cling to my own strength and power. Because at any moment it could be gone. The only thing I know for sure is my faith in the one that holds me together when it seems like everything is falling apart.

No trivia question needed for that realization. I must become less and He must become greater. When I realize that my identity is found in Him, then I find my true self. When I surrender to the notion that it’s not about me, but all about Him, I find the beauty in admitting I don’t have it all together. But in that act of surrendering I also discover the beauty of finding the One who does.

I would say Socrates wasn’t correct in his statement. I would rephrase by saying, “I am the wisest man alive for I know the Wisest One alive.”

I may not know a lot, but this is the one thing I do know. He will never let me go.

Echo

Can you recall a kind word someone said to you last year? I mean in detail, word for word, can you recite that phrase to yourself now after a year? I have a hard time remembering the encouraging words said to me by others after some time has passed. Yet I can proclaim the pessimistic phrases said to me ten years ago. Why do we hold onto the negative so much easier than we do the positive? Why are the echoes of our past more like haunting melodies than joyous songs of praise?

My song for the last few months has been Echo by Elevation Worship. I sing it loud and proud in my car.

When my mind says I’m not good enough

God, You’re enough for me, yeah

I’ve decided I’m not giving up

‘Cause You won’t give up on me

You won’t give up on me

Your love is holding on and it won’t let go

I feel it breaking out like an echo

Your love is holding on and it won’t let go

I feel it breaking out like an echo

Echo in my soul

May we all hear the still small voice of God as he whispers, “There’s My masterpiece. There’s My work of art. There’s My child I love.” And may we tune out the voices that only live to push us down. When we start to believe we are not good enough to accomplish our dreams we are basically calling God a liar when He says we are good enough.

May the echos you hear lead you closer to Him. If they drag you away, they are not from Him.

Do you feel it breaking out?

Breaking out?

Oh, His love is holding on and it won’t let go

But once we decide to hear Him, we can’t sit idly with that passion. We have to echo it out to others. Who knows, your words may be the words that one person was needing to hear to drown out their negative voices. We are to be reflections and imitators of Christ…we are to be His echo in this world.

Be His echo.

Peace

Ripple

Drip.

We know the expression about being a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond. But what about the water in the pond? Would you rather be a drop of water in a big pond or a small pond? Weird question, isn’t it?

I love cruises. The thrill of being on a small city on the sea with the endless food, show worthy entertainment, and exciting places to explore. Another thing I like about cruising is when I am having a day at sea I find relaxation in staring off into the distance. Some may find that frightening to not see any sign of life in any direction, but I find great comfort in knowing I am so small in a giant world. Many may think that sounds ridiculous because we live in a world where we constantly want to be followed on Instagram or liked on Facebook or retweeted on Twitter. I mean, I’m writing in a blog for people to read and respond. We want to be known. We were created for interaction and relationships. Yet, when I find my true sense of self worth, it’s not through the accolades of fans, the congratulations of readers, or the number of comments on my status. It’s the still small voice that beckons me to come and sit. When the King of kings whispers my name, the world stands still. The thing is, He wants to whisper your name as well. But how often do we take the time to listen?

Drip.

I was speaking to a friend a few weeks ago and I made some comment about a water bucket and a well. I look at my life and I see just a small bucket half filled while I look at others and see so much potential with their well. We are each blessed in different ways. Don’t discount your gifts. All you may have is a feeble bucket, but each drop of water is the same size. Don’t compare your dismal bucket to a thriving well. Each one started with just one drop. Then another. And another. You may think one drop doesn’t make that much of a difference, but it can. It only takes one additional drop to break an already weakening fortifying dam. Just one drop.

Drip.

Another thing about a single, minuscule drop of water is the effect it has on the other drops of water. You may think one drop of water on the surface of a lake is close to meaningless, but each drop of water leaves an impact. Even if it’s but a ripple. That ripple continues and continues. Our lives are like a drop of water. We drip here and we drip there not thinking we are making any difference in the long run. Yet your ripples could be making an incredible difference and you will never know it. A drop of water doesn’t know how far it’s ripple goes. Neither do we know how far our ripple goes. You may give someone a free cookie with a smile tomorrow not realizing that they hadn’t eaten anything in two days and were sinking into a thought that no one cared about them. What if that little cookie changed that’s person outlook on life? You may think I’m trying to make some lofty example out of nothing, but the thing is, we will never know the impact we make. You could give a cookie tomorrow and the receiver never take a second thought about you. That could happen as well. But what if…what if your tiniest drip of service, love, encouragement, hope was just what someone needed.

Drip.

You may never know the outcome of your drops, but in the end, you don’t really need to know. In my purest state I don’t drip to get fame and notoriety for myself. I just drip because I was caught up in someone’s ripple from their drip of grace and it radically changed me. And they probably don’t know the lasting impact they made. To them it was just a tiny drip. But to me…it was a tsunami.

May you continue to sprinkle grace, hope, love, joy freely. May you also never lose the belief that you are leaving a legacy. We are all connected. If you don’t drip you are not the only one who is going to miss out on the blessing.

Drip.

Lego – Build

I remember vividly the joy I had as a kid with Legos. Taking many colorful blocks with varying sizes and purposes and fastening them together to create something. Anything. A castle. A rocket ship. A village. These days you can create just about anything with those little blocks. The good thing about Legos is that once you are finished you can either keep it forever, or tear it apart and build something new. I rarely kept anything longer than a few minutes, but would quickly deconstruct my latest creation, stow away my blocks in my hard plastic blue case and put them away for another day.

Another thing I remember is the fun of arts and crafts. Taking popsicle sticks, glue, and anything else one could find and build. Build til my heart was content. I don’t believe I’m the only one that misses the days of sitting around a table of scraps and odds and ends and having someone say, “Have fun!” We were born with the ability to create. We have that drive in our bones to see bits of useless glitter balls and broken pottery fragments and suddenly, like a spark, start to imagine the endless possibilities.

What happened with us? What caused us to stop imagining possibilities and start speaking the word impossible?

Today at church the message title was Build – Changing the Story of Your City and it energized me. We are called to Build! We were created to Build! We each have a part to play in this world we live and it’s not to sit around and waste our one life. I truly believe that God has given each one of us a plan, a passion, a dream, an ability, an idea that will cause us to build something great for Him. It usually doesn’t require tools or a degree or an investor to follow the path God is calling you to walk. It just requires a step of faith. Then another. Then another…

I love this verse

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did you catch that? There is a lot going on in that small verse.

We are God’s handiwork. We are God’s creation. We are His tools He fashioned. We are His vessels He designed. We were made with a purpose. No one ever creates anything without creating it for a purpose. Even the prettiest vase was created to store flowers. Everything that is created is created to do something. So are we.

What are we created to do…to do good works. Yep. Sitting around isn’t what God planned for us to do. Waiting for someone else to build your dream isn’t going to happen. You have to build. You were created to build.

Lastly, and my favorite, God has something for us to do that He prepared in advance for us to do. Yes. God made you with a purpose only you can do. He created you with the abilities you have to build. He planted that seed in your dream and He’s waiting for you to acknowledge it. To accept it. To own it. He’s waiting for you to take the first step…not alone, but with Him.

You may be thinking, “I don’t have a dream or an idea or a goal or a passion or the faintest notion of what to do.” You are not alone. The first thing to do is pray to the Creator of all creation. If He can make a hummingbird, He can make you have an idea. Just listen to that still small voice.

Tune out the negatives, “This is stupid, you’re wasting your time, you can’t do anything,” and listen for something different. It may take time, but if you are willing to seek Him, you will find Him.

It’s 2019 people. It’s the start of a new year. So why not start something new? Why not follow where your passion leads? Who knows where you will end up, but if you are following Him, I bet you will be in a better place than where you were in 2018. Maybe not geographically, but in a better “place” with Him.

So, why not find those old building blocks and dump them on the floor. Take the yellow and red blocks and fasten them into the blue and gray blocks. Who knows what you will create? It could be the start of a colorful journey. A journey He prepared in advance for you to do. Yep….He prepared you for this.

You can do it!

New

This is a start of a new hour, a new day, a new month and a new year. It’s the start of chasing the treadmill of healthy resolutions, flipping open the dusty book on your bookcase, or dropping pennies into the piggy bank of credit card debt. It’s a fresh new start. Just like every morning, God’s mercies are new.

I have seen many people wave goodbye to 2018 with a good riddance smile. But it saddens me to think that so many people would wish that 2018 never happened. As if they are like Job praying to God that 2018 never existed. 2018 could have been a year of great tragedies, but 2018 shouldn’t be discounted.

I have to believe that God can use all things, all circumstances, all incidents – even tragedies. I have to cling to the promise that even when it doesn’t make sense to me, it doesn’t mean it’s useless. I have to reside in the shelter of hope, knowing that the storms will eventually pass. My hope and optimism doesn’t belittle the battle wounds from the past. These scarring tattoos are just reminders that we survived. That we endured the rugged terrains. That we out ran life’s avalanche. That we stood the test through our souls forest fires and flood waters. Yes, we should not wish to forget. Those moments are what made us who we are today. They should make us stronger, smarter, harder, more flexible, more determined, and more driven.

2018 should not be discounted, but actually appreciated. May we each realize the gift we each have. A new chance. Not to redo 2018. No, a chance to dream new dreams. An opportunity to hope new hopes. An occasion to live a life worth living.

May we see 2019 not as a new beginning, but as a continuation. What happened last year will affect what happens this year. Without moments of defeat, we would not have aspirations of doing better. May we use the flames that burned us in 2018, ignite a passion that will cause others to see the light. You may wonder why you had to walk through the wildness in 2018, but what if your journey made a trail for others to follow? What if your tiring expedition unknowingly starts a pilgrimage to the promised land? Would you still wish 2018 never happened even if it helps one other person?

We may not see the entire tapestry, but each stroke of “pain”t has a purpose in His beautiful grace filled landscape. It’s sad. We are each a walking masterpiece yet we often look past ourselves for images of grandeur yet our reflections are the reflections of the One who made each of us.

So, here’s to the memories of 2018. May they spur us to greater things in 2019.