A Prayer for 2017

Lord, thank you for bringing me through 2016. 

Thank you for preserving me, providing for me, enlightening me, calling me higher, and lifting my head. Thank you for your presence. Your unyielding presence. Your warring presence. Your protective presence. Your guiding presence. Your comforting presence. Your inviting presence. 

Thank you for Your companionship. Your parenting. Your concern. Your commitment. Your capability. 

All unmatched - eternally unmatched.

You are more committed to me than I am to myself, more committed to me than those I have trusted -even those I trust -- those you gifted to my life. I thank you, Lord, for takingYour relationship with me seriously... for pursuing me and drawing me close with Your goodness and mercy,  promises and faithfulness, the purest motives and purest desire for intimacy and friendship. Thank you that who You are today, will not change tomorrow . 

Your Friend, "HOPE."

HOPE:

 "A person or thing in which expectations are centered."

"The feeling that what is desired can be had."

It's the most wonderful time of the year... it is :) 
But in the midst of good tidings and Christmas cheer, it's no secret that the holidays often highlight  we've lost and now lack, or perhaps what we want and do not yet have.  And while we know the reason for the season, feelings of disappointment and loneliness still manage to seep their way in. The year wraps up and we're eager to cross over. We rejoice, but we can also be tempted to mull over missed opportunities, unfulfilled longings, and incomplete endeavors. 

You may be hopeful. You may be hopeless. 

And it could actually depend on the day (YIKES! and #nojudgment)..

But, if your hope needs to be steadied and is under attack - and if you've given up parts of your life to whatever may come, I'm writing to fight with you.

You'll need your hope in its purest form and most proper place to keep at life in every season. 
This is a virtue you cannot forfeit..

You'll need your friend. You'll need your HOPE.
HOPE IS NOT YOUR ENEMY.
(It gets better, keep reading!)