“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8 CSB

You did it! You made it through another year and are facing the start of the new chapter. I think it is always so important to celebrate the fact that you made it through another year, with all the good and the hard that came alongside it. You can be proud, because you are a wiser and better person because of this growth.

I love this time of post celebration and looking at the new year ahead of us, because it offers us a chance to continue a path of growth in our wisdom and love. Something I’ve done every year, is choose a word to be my focus for the year, not as a goal, but as a mindset or character trait that I wish to grow and center myself on. You may think this is a cliché, but I believe it is wise to set an intention for your year, not a goal that can feel shameful if you miss, but something that you can cultivate in your spirit so that you become a clearer version of who God has designed you to be.

My word that I chose for this year is, “embrace.”

To embrace something, is to hold close to your heart, to welcome in with deep love and affection, to step into the new season with open arms ready for whatever may greet you.

In a world where Jesus’ name is taken in vain by grifters, I want my life to be an example of love and light that the life of Jesus proclaimed, a life that Jesus called us to walk into and embrace.

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