During the holiday season, the hearts of men seem to be a little warmer, a bit more patient, and a tad bit more giving. It’s the time of year where we desire to help those in need and to place a smile on the face of a less fortunate child.

It is also a time where some do not feel as festive and giving as others. Maybe because of the loss of a loved one. Maybe you’ve imagined yourself to be at a different place in life, given your age and social status.

No matter the emotional state that we are in, we must continue to move forward. As we press toward the end of the year, don’t end this year with the same blues as you’ve had throughout the year. There will be no new season without reflection. Pause and reflect on the mistakes you have made. Forgive yourself for them and disassociate from anything that would cause you to repeat the same process. Reflect on the accomplishments and victories you have won and build upon those as well. Learn how to keep yourself in the love of God.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”Jude‬ ‭1:20-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Life is about pause, reflect and pursuit.

Have you ever done something that just crushed your grandmother or grandfather, and their reaction it hurt you to the core? They were slow to respond, if they responded at all. They may have not even uttered a word, but it was the expression on their face that causes you to drop your head in disgust. Maybe it was someone else other than your grandparents that you held in high regard, but we have all been there. Well…can you imagine disappointing our Heavenly Father, with nonsense? To the point, where He hangs His head in digits, not having anything to say- at a loss for words? From this point on, resolve not to do anything that will disappoint your Father.

Anytime we give in to sin, we frustrate the grace of God.

You have to resolve to not allow anyone or anything (including yourself) to stop you from celebrating the living hope that you have been given, even when your heart’s desires are yet to be realized. God is greater than our hearts because He created them. Since He created both it (our hearts) and us, He knows what would pull our hearts away from Him or draw us closer to Him, and we must therefore trust His plans for our lives.

Hope lives. God granted a hope that never dies, but this hope only manifests itself when we allow it to live through us. When we give up our own lives as a sacrifice to carry out the purpose of God, we are given a living hope in exchange. Just in case you are uncertain of that hope, it is Jesus.

Hope lives because JESUS is hope and He yet lives. His presence is felt everywhere, even in the MIDST of a worldwide catastrophic failure, Christ gave and continues to give us hope. That hope is revealed through salvation.

I don’t know about you, but I have something in view. I see my hope and I remember the promises of God through Jesus Christ. I know He lives, because He lives in me.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” 1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬