Happy New Year everyone!

It's crazy to think yet again one year has passed by and we have entered a new one. Firstly, glory be to God and to God alone that we made it into 2017 safe and sound. If not for his mercy and for his grace, none of us would be here to celebrate this wonderful start to the year.

I believe that 2017 is going to be a year of growth, love and giving.

Personally, I am going to work on myself in all of these areas so I decided to share just a few of the things that I plan to do this year and that I also encourage you to do also.

Forgive

I really believe that this year there should be a huge emphasis on forgiveness. We're currently living in a world where people see good as evil and evil as good. Being cold and cruel to others has become a fashion trend and many people are following it. Too many people. Too many people would rather hold anger and tension in their heart against a person, for the sake of being able to gossip about them, rather than to just forgive. 

You see the thing about forgiveness is that it doesn't only take the burden off the other person but the burden off you too. It's like a pin has been removed from your heart once you forgive someone of their offence. And, for me, the most powerful kind of forgiveness is the one given where no apology is made. I think we all need to work on this one this year. When someone doesn't say sorry, forgive them anyways. Forgive your dad for leaving you. Forgive your best friend for betraying you. Forgive those around you because it brings healing to you as a person and helps you to grow.

Love

Dedicate this year to loving God more and loving people more. Go deeper in your walk with God. Remind yourself everyday that your relationship with God is based on faith, not your feelings. It doesn't matter if you wake up feeling angry at the world, you have all the power to say no to those negative vibes and decide to show even more love than usual on that particular day. Praise God. Listen to music that glorifies him. Spend more time in his word. I promise you, because I am living proof, that if you spend valuable time in God's word, you will naturally begin to love more and you will find it so much easier.

Also, show love to your friends and family and strangers. Maybe think twice before insulting your friend as a joke. I know I need to work on that myself, but rather find other ways to make them laugh. Spread positivity and keep only good vibes around you. If you have friends who you know are not contributing to a successful future for you, or who are like dark clouds over you, let them go. 

Be joyful

Train your thoughts to think in such a way where they see the good in everything. It's not easy. It will take time. But gradually, if you work hard to do it, you will see outstanding results. When you go out, embrace everything you see around you and look for the beauty in it. Appreciate your friends and their uniqueness. Look in the mirror and tell yourself everyday that you are great, that you are wonderful, that you are beautiful. People don't realise how much power there is in the tongue and in the mind. So when you combine both of them together, amazing things happen. You will become more joyful if you work on focusing on the good. Stop looking for happiness because the more you look for it, the further away you will be from finding it. Just embrace everything by the heel and appreciate all that is around you and joy will find you.

Give

Give Give Give.

Give more. Give abundantly. Give like never before this year. Give your time, energy, love, commitment, faithfulness, kindness, character. Just give. Money is not the only thing that must be attached onto giving. Sometimes, the most powerful type of giving is when you give people things that hands cannot touch. When you give time and energy into making someone around you happier, by telling them something nice or performing an unexpected kind gesture, their happiness will bounce back to you. It has a mirror effect, trust me. 

More importantly, give yourself to God. Allow him to change your heart and mind. Allow him to give you a new beginning because here's the truth. I heard someone say the other day that "A new year doesn't put you on a clean slate, Jesus does," and this is so very true. Open your heart to him. Give your time and energy and dedication to him. If you have strayed away from him in the past, he is right here still waiting for you. Never forget the story of the prodigal son. Jesus says in John 6:37 "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." This means that Jesus will never say to you "Go away I don't want you." His arms are always open and he indeed is waiting for YOU to come into them.

Revelation 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Jesus is reminding us here that he is knocking on the door. On the door of your heart. He is waiting for you to open it and let him in. He will transform your life, but only if you allow him to.

I hope you all have an amazing year.

God bless.

Love you all.