Some New Year's Day Thoughts

This year, what if we all just...

Got real with each other.  It's easy to wear masks, play games, and project polished images of who we actually are.  Let's be our authentic selves and open up about who we genuinely are underneath the surface.  God already knows who each of us are on the inside anyway, so why not own it and share it with each other?  In the long run, life gets better and things make sense when we deal with truth.

Dealt with our own faults and quirks before addressing the faults and quirks of others.  The older I get, the more I think we all should mind our own business.  Jesus sure thought this too.  He was the one who said "First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  The first person I need to work on is the guy who stares back at me in the mirror.  Isn't that true for us all?

Loved everyone.  There is just too much hate and bitterness in this world.  We human beings can be cruel in the ugliest of ways.  May God help us all care, forgive, and bless others.  And this includes our enemies.  We can make this world a better place if we are filled with compassion and share it with everyone we see.

Showed grace to the fallen.  God forgives and patiently works to restore us when we fail.  He treats us much better than we deserve.  What if we did the same with each other?  Let's not shoot our wounded.  A better way is to help them out, as God has helped us out.  The last few years, I've been much more of a "grace guy" than I was before.  And you know what?  It feels right.

Prayed more and worried less.  God can handle everything.  We can not.  He's bigger, stronger, smarter, and better than we'll ever be.  So we should give our problems to Him and quit living in anxiety.  Listen, worry has never once fixed any of my problems.  But God sure has!

I'm not going to create an unrealistic list of resolutions this year.  But on this New Year's Day, I'm thinking that putting these principles into practice may position you and me to have a blessed 2016.  Happy New Year to you and yours!