New year, new thoughts

Welcome to 2019. Wait a moment, it is already January 8th, how can I welcome you to a new year? I can do this because it seems like the year just started and here we are already moving into the 2nd week. Can you believe it? I can't. Where has the 1st week of 2019 gone? It is in the history books.

I talked with many different people over the last few weeks, and they have all agreed on one thing. 2018 went mighty fast. Seriously. It seems to have flown by. We were starting the year and suddenly we were at the end, getting ready to great a new year. What happened to the year?

It passed into the history books. We can come up with all sorts of reasons for the seeming quickness of the year, but the fact is, it wasn't any shorter or faster than any other year. Each day still had the same 24 hours. Each hour still had the same 60 minutes. Each minute still had the same 60 seconds. There were the normal 365 days in the year, 12 months, and each month had the correct number of days. Each week lasted for...wait for it...7 days! Amazing!

So what happened? I don't know. I can't answer that question. The year "seemed" to fly by. Maybe because I was busy. Maybe because I was trying to do too many things. Maybe because...I don't know.

I do know one thing, the Lord's love was in all those days. Each and every day, the Lord was the same Lord. Each day His mercy was new and fresh. Each day He still held me in His hand. each day was a blessing from Him. Were the days perfect? Nope. Were there struggles? Oh yes. Was there pain, physical and emotional pain? Yes. But through it all, there was the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was with me in all I did. Yes, He was there in my struggles and in my joys. He was there when I was following His will and when I was not following His will. He was there, giving me strength when I faced temptation and He was there with His forgiveness when I gave in to those temptations. he is amazing, wonderful, loving, caring and a whole host of other descriptive words.

As you go into 2019, and that is where we began this little journey today, know that the Lord will be with you in all that you face. Live in that very faith in Jesus Christ. Let Him be the One who fills your heart with hope, your struggles with strength and your craziness with peace. How is this done? Through faith in Jesus, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the One who has promised His love and presence each and every moment of the day.

Will you be frustrated this year? Probably. Will you have struggles? Without a doubt. Will you sin? Oh yes. Will you need His help because you are weak? Yep. In all things, you need Jesus Christ. you need Him in joy and sorrow, in health and in sickness, in strength and in weakness. You need Jesus in 2019. Period. You need Jesus.

So let us get on this horse of 2019 and ride him to the end of the trail. What does 2019 bring to you? to me? I have no idea. But I do know who does! Jesus Christ. Trust and follow Him.