Happy New Year

Happy New Year. "This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" Psalms 118:24

I feel truly blessed to have made in through another year and to have awaken to another day. There were many who did not make it to 2012. My Pastor, Dr.Kevin Cosby, preached on the topic of time today, and it really brought home a message. All of us have the same amount of time to work with, 86,400 seconds in a day. We cannot carry any over and we can't get it back once it is used. Because of this we should be guardful of each and every day to maximize our time and focus our lives and energies on those things that give the highest return.

On several occasions my wife has said to me that she didn't have time to do something, or that she was too busy. I tell her that she has the same amount of time as everyone else. It is just a matter of how you chose to use it. We spend too much time doing second things first. A lot of time it is because of how we set our priorities. We waste time on secondary issues or with people that don't result in the achievement of anything. Rev Cosby noted that the mistakes we make with time are 1.) We overexaggerate yesterday 2.) we overestimate tomorrow, and 3.) we underestimate today. Today is the day to rejoice in and not be burdened by what happened yesterday or fearful of what will happen tomorrow.

The year 2011 had a lot of blessings and a lot of burdens.  Our daughter obtained her associate degree in medical coding, yet still has not found a job. The kitchen remodeling project was completed but bills have not been paid. I still am employed , but no raises or bonus received at work, while the recession continues to cut into my 401K. But, I know that I am blessed  and I am grateful for today. I look back over my life and I could be a drunk, into drugs, in jail, or just not here, like some of the people I grew up with. I don't make new year's resolutions anymore. Yes, I have goals for the year, things I want to do before the end of the year and in a positive manner. But I will keep my agenda in mind each day and be glad in it.