A Prayer for 2018
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19
2017 is almost over, and this is the perfect time for quiet reflection between the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year's Day.
Like most of you, I'm sure, I have plenty of regrets from the past year. I've fallen short, I haven't always been faithful, and I haven't always loved others with Christlike love. But the beautiful thing is that my God doesn't expect 100% perfection from me. I'm a mortal, I'm a sinner. Only one has ever lived a perfect life, His son Jesus Christ, who gives me and all of us the grace to start over a million million times. I know what awaits for me after death, because I've already accepted the free gift of salvation. That doesn't mean I'm perfect, or that I can't screw up. It just means that, like the coming of a new year, there's always the opportunity to start fresh with God and do a little better each time.
As God reminds us, don't dwell on the past! The world is a magical, miraculous, wondrous place. There's so much suffering, because it is fallen and tainted by sin, but there's so much good and love out there as well. I always try to find the magical, the spiritual, the divine within the confines of this mortal, physical world. It's all there, so much that it makes me break down and cry if I think about it for too long.
To be alive is a wonderful blessing from God - don't squander it! Seek Him, love your neighbors, and do everything you can to ease the suffering of others that comes from the sinful nature of the world.
Don't let the dogmatic constraints of organized religion keep you from finding your potential - go straight to God, straight to the source, through Jesus with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is accessible to all of us. Strive for a relationship, not a religion! Religion is for man, spirituality is for God!
My prayer is that all of you find peace and blessings in 2018!
Heavenly Father,
As 2017 comes to a close, I want to reflect on all the times I've failed you and all the times I haven't lived up to what I know I should do.
But while I reflect, please grant me the grace of knowing that you don't hold any of that against me.
Help me remember that there's always a chance to start over.
Just as 2018 and all its endless possibilities are right around the corner,
I know that every day you give me the chance to start over again.
Help me remember to love always, first you and then my brothers and sisters.
In the name of your precious son Jesus Christ,
Amen