22 Days For Gratitude — Day 20: Fresh

I don’t know if I have ever bought into the whole “every new year is the chance for a clean slate” idea. For one thing, if you were a jerk last year,
you’re probably going to stay a jerk if you make no useful effort to change. If you were afraid of the dark on New Years Eve, I hardly think reaching 12:01 a.m. on January 1st is going to make a difference.

I guess I feel like the illusion that you get a fresh start as the calendar page turns melted away as I grew up along with the concept of having weekends actually being weekends (laziness and all) after having children or in the wonders of becoming “grown up and making it” – before you consider mortgage and car payments leaving not much left from your paycheck as you chase your dreams. Neither completely exist even though they are implied with TGIF or the American Dream, respectively. They exist in one form, but not in the one purported in the myths we are fed daily. At least when it comes to me. Maybe where you are in life affords you the chance to kick back on the weekends or to have extra money to burn. In that case, good for you. But you can probably attest to the fact that neither of those things just happened for you. Chances are, you put in some elbow grease to be where you are, perhaps you haven’t gotten there just yet. Perhaps you’re working on it.

The point I wish to make is this: picture yourself atop a mountain, or a hill. Where you can clearly see the landscape around you. Or at least you can make it out. You see the potential. The gift of what lies ahead of you. It could be yours for the taking. You don’t know necessarily what must be done to accomplish this, what difficulties may lurk, but you see all that it could be.

A new year is like that. You can look forward from January 1st and envision everything that could be. You can acknowledge the gift that the Lord has given you, time and days ahead. But it won’t just happen for you. Your steps will be blessed, they will be sure. But first, you have to move. At least, this is how I look at this new year. I feel motivation, I feel excitement and I hope to taste what is good this year, and see the wonders from my Heavenly Father’a hand. I hope to step towards my inheritance, towards the promised land that He has set aside for me, boldly and assuredly. I’m sure I won’t live up to all of this. I will fail.

But, I hope that I move. I hope that you press forward, that you move along. That you strive.

And that you have fun. I plan on it!!!

And here is something to hopefully get you motivated. Hoping this works!