There is Still Hope.
When you look back at your year, what emotions come to mind? Is it regret, disappointment and failure, or is it joy, gratitude and anticipation for the new year? I asked myself this very same question, and found myself curled up in a ball on my bathroom floor in tears. Honestly, in that moment, all I could remember were the bad moments of 2019. The moments when I found myself in deep discouragement, and disappointment. As I sat on the bathroom floor, crying out to God, I felt the Holy Spirit gently speak to my heart. He reminded me that I knew within myself that there weren’t only bad moments in 2019, and what I needed to do was think back and remember the good. He told me to remember the moments when He came through for me, the moments when He showed Himself strong on my behalf and on the behalf of my friends and family members.
When I finally regained my composure, I did just that. I thought back on my year, from January to the present, and I realized that the good moments of 2019 far outweighed the bad--by a long shot. There were so many moments when I felt great joy and peace in God’s presence. Moments when God brought me through in victory. Moments that I spent in joy and laughter with my family. Moments that I experienced Jesus in a new way. As I began to reflect on these moments, I could feel the cloud of discouragement and doubt lift off of me. It was as if I could breath easier, and I felt at peace for the first time in days. I realized that Satan wanted me to focus on the bad, so that I could walk into 2020 with little hope and joy. Had it not been for God's kindness, I probably would have done just that.
Is my experience your reality today? Are you like I was, crying over the bad moments of 2019 and forgetting the good? If so, I encourage you to look back on your year and pinpoint the good. Be intentional about doing it, and remind the enemy that just like God came through for you before, He will do it again. Our years may not have looked the way we hoped it would have looked and things may not have worked out the way we wanted them to work out, but guess what? We’re still standing. We’re alive. We’re breathing. Because of this truth, there is still hope.
I wanted to remind you of this truth today. There is still hope. Focus on the good days of 2019, and remember how far God has brought you this year. What I love so much about God is His mercy and His kindness towards us. As I cried out to Him on my bathroom floor, He began to encourage my heart. You see, I cried because I focused on the moments when I fell short in 2019, the moments when I messed up, the moments when I failed to do what I had resolved to do at the beginning of the year, but in the moment, the Holy Spirit began to encourage me. He told me that He was proud of me for the moments when I stood strong, and He is proud of me because despite everything that I faced during 2019, I am still standing. I believe that He wants to say the same thing to you today. You are still standing, and God honors that. So, focus on the good. Remember the good days. Look back on the moments when God came through for you in 2019, and walk into 2020 with full confidence that better days are ahead.
Remember, there is still hope.