"Be joyful in Hope..."

Happy New Year friends! This year marks lots of new and exciting challenges. I must admit, when the clock turned to midnight, I had to fight back tears. 2023…this is the year my oldest will graduate high school. I can’t believe 2023 is here. Happy and sad tears all at once. Sad that he will go off to college, but happy because we are so proud of the young man he has become.

Then, more happy tears as I realized this is the year my first children’s book will be published! Over winter break, I received some finalized illustrations. They are adorable. Tears started to flow seeing my book come to life. God has blown me away. Never in a million years, did I think I could write a children’s book. He called me, I stepped out in faith and here we are. I trusted Him one step at a time. He has taught me, He has provided, He has moved. Wow, God!

I’ll be stepping out in faith a lot this year. Trusting God for many new challenges. As I prayed about my word for the year, God gave me the word, HOPE. I have so many hopes for this year. Hope for my son to transition well to college. Hope for my youngest to transition well to high school. Hope for my book to bless many and bring God glory.

The reason I can have hope is Jesus. No matter what happens, succeed or fail, good news or bad news, God has a plan. (Psalm 33:11, Jeremiah 29:11) He promises to always be with us. (Deuteronomy 31:8) He promises to work things out for good. (Romans 8:28) He is trustworthy. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Ultimately, He loves us unconditionally. So much love, that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be born as a humble baby, to grow up, and to die for our sins. This way, we can be with Him eternally in Heaven. Even now, because of His great love, we can have mercy, grace, peace and hope. My verse for this year is Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

How are you trusting Jesus this year? What are your hopes? I would love to hear from you and pray for you. Have a blessed and beautiful New Year friends.

Bible Verses I found on Hope:

Click here for more verses about hope