Ah yes. It's that time of year again. A new year. The time where people make resolutions they don't often stick to and sometimes, make so many resolutions they get overwhelmed and give up. I've never been one to make resolutions, but each new year I like to remind myself of my life goals and ambitions and reflect on how far I've come and look forward to how much left there is. One thing I've always hated about approaching a new year is that all I hear is how fast time has flown by and blah blah blah. But today I stopped to think about that a lot and a particular thought came to mind. How many people didn't think they'd make it to live another year? Maybe they were fighting cancer or depression, maybe they attempted suicide or thought about it; there are people out there fighting for their lives. And I know in my life, I am way too ignorant in this aspect. I'm sitting around moping about how fast time has gone by and there are people who are alive for the new year and can smile because they didn't think they would be. Those people who struggle, they know how to live. I have such a respect for my RAIM kids because they know hurt, and that motivates them to help others. They smile at how far they've come, not cry.
Now that that's been said, I want to talk about goals. See, every day we have a new chance to change or to be better. You don't need to wait for a new year. Today you can make the choice to be different. What are you doing to better yourself for the new year? Look back on 2013, was it good? Was it bad? How can you learn from the experience? What negative things are you going to cut out of your life this year? I hope a lot of you will be making the brave choice to recover this year. If you're struggling, you can overcome the struggle. Use this time or renewal to your advantage. You don't have to settle for a bad or even just an OK life. You can thrive. The choice is entirely up to you. This year you can change the way you see yourself, cut out fat talk, make new friends, speak up, overcome anxiety, eat and be happy, and love yourself. Nothing is impossible. Its a new year. You can do it!
There is one thing I would love every single one of you to do this year and its my constant prayer for each of you: and that's for you to get to know Jesus. To accept that He died on the cross to pay for your sins, and that through faith in Him, you have eternal life. Not by works, but by Him. I know a lot of you guys think I'm some religious nut for saying that, but I'm not, I promise. Think of it like this, I have something that I have experienced and I love it, and I want to share that with you. If I believe that through Jesus you can have eternal life, how can you get mad at me for wanting to share that with you? All I know is that I have found a peace beyond understanding, and I want you to experience that same peace.
I know, that was a lot of rambling. But to sum it up, if you didn't think you'd make it this far, I am so freakin proud of you. Seriously. That is amazing. You rock! So here's to another amazing year! Keep pressing on! And for everyone, you can make changes. It starts with you, and deciding you don't want to live this way anymore. We were meant to live for so much more. You can do this.
~Faith
Now that that's been said, I want to talk about goals. See, every day we have a new chance to change or to be better. You don't need to wait for a new year. Today you can make the choice to be different. What are you doing to better yourself for the new year? Look back on 2013, was it good? Was it bad? How can you learn from the experience? What negative things are you going to cut out of your life this year? I hope a lot of you will be making the brave choice to recover this year. If you're struggling, you can overcome the struggle. Use this time or renewal to your advantage. You don't have to settle for a bad or even just an OK life. You can thrive. The choice is entirely up to you. This year you can change the way you see yourself, cut out fat talk, make new friends, speak up, overcome anxiety, eat and be happy, and love yourself. Nothing is impossible. Its a new year. You can do it!
There is one thing I would love every single one of you to do this year and its my constant prayer for each of you: and that's for you to get to know Jesus. To accept that He died on the cross to pay for your sins, and that through faith in Him, you have eternal life. Not by works, but by Him. I know a lot of you guys think I'm some religious nut for saying that, but I'm not, I promise. Think of it like this, I have something that I have experienced and I love it, and I want to share that with you. If I believe that through Jesus you can have eternal life, how can you get mad at me for wanting to share that with you? All I know is that I have found a peace beyond understanding, and I want you to experience that same peace.
I know, that was a lot of rambling. But to sum it up, if you didn't think you'd make it this far, I am so freakin proud of you. Seriously. That is amazing. You rock! So here's to another amazing year! Keep pressing on! And for everyone, you can make changes. It starts with you, and deciding you don't want to live this way anymore. We were meant to live for so much more. You can do this.
~Faith