May This Year Brings You an Abundance of Happiness

I pray that this year brings you an abundance of happiness and that your cup may overflow with blessings from above. May your presence bless others as you are blessed.

I believe that together we can learn the art of forgiveness and find joy in someone else’s talents and success. Lord, teach us to love our enemies and forgive those who have offended us, just as you continue to love and forgive us. Let our love for others reflect the love you have for us.

Lord, give us the strength we need to walk alone, knowing that you have already paved the way. Guide us through your Holy Spirit so that we may desire to be more like Christ than to be of the world. Let the people know, dear God, that the key to salvation is love.

Remind us that as Christians, it is not our responsibility to point out every sin, but to show how God still loves us as sinners. It is not our responsibility to gossip about someone’s spirit of deceitfulness or addiction, but to love them and pray that God will deliver them.

Sometimes, we can make religion seem so complicated, with too many rules, but I believe that if we focus on the act of unconditional love towards everyone, everything else will fall into place. Just imagine, if we loved everyone, there would be no racism, homelessness, abuse, or wars between nations. This is the dream that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was striving for.

As we get ready to celebrate a great man of God, let’s remember that before he was a doctor, he was a reverend. Rev. King’s message came from the word of God, not from the world. He was a man led by the Holy Spirit to teach us the importance of love. Jesus did not die to leave us the New Testament of the Bible, just like Rev. King did not die to have street signs named after him. They both sacrificed their lives so that we could learn to walk in love, and our love for one another will be rewarded one day in heaven.

I have chosen to walk in the love and light of the Lord, so that others can witness God’s love through me. My walk in 2023 is different and I am grateful. May we all strive to live a life of love, guided by the Holy Spirit, and blessed by the grace of God.