2007

A New Year has begun and I look back at the year that just past and reflect and look ahead and wonder what is instore for me in the year ahead.

When I look back I do feel a bit like a failure, I look at what I wanted to do in the last year and feel I did not acomplish everything. I look back at times when my walk was not as strong as it should be. Yet I can look back and learn from my failures. I can see where I did wrong and pray about change. God allows failures in our lives so that we can learn from it. Success nor failure is ever final, it is just inevitiable. It is how we handle our sucesses and failures that matter most.Our greatest accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.

Mary Pickford once said "Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call " failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down"

With God's help I can stand up after failure and continue on..

(Phil 3:13-14) 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I must confess I am not happy with my walk with Christ. I look back and feel.....no I know, I have failed Jesus and yet I look at what Apostle Paul said forget which is behind you and look forward. Press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.

It is so amazing how God uses His word to encourage us, even when we fail Him. He just shows me His grace and His forgiveness.

And again as The ApostlePaul says (Phil 4:13) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We have the Holy Spirit that will guide us and change us because we can do all things through Him in joy, in pain, in suffering and in failure we can draw strength from the Lord.

I look ahead to 2007 and my prayer is that I will rely more on Christ then myself. I pray that my walk will be a reflection of Christ. I pray for strength I can only find in Jesus. I pray I will spend more time in prayer and in His word.

(Phil 4:4-9) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. 9The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I pray this for all those that know Him as their Savior....

Cristina