The Future is Your GREATEST Present

Hi there Friend! Have you ever had really hard seasons of life? One’s where you feel lonely, unsure, sad, angry, lost, confused, and even hopeless? Me too. I find myself at a season of change. I am often not very good at change simply because I like knowing the outcomes of what is to come and it is often hard for me to let go of what I once knew. I like stability and being in control. Do any of you resonate with me on this? Of course, life has a way of placing us at a crossroads where we must make a decision of what we are going to do next. I do not know about you but I tend to over think and critically analyze all my options which can cause anxiety and keep me in a state of fear and doubt and not want to move forward. I just celebrated my twenty-eighth birthday this past weekend; woohoo!! I have always loved birthdays in celebrating milestones and getting ready for new adventures. Of course I also love the cake and getting to spend time with family and friends. And then, there are the gifts. Gary Chapman, in his book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, explains how there are five categories of love that we all experience--granted some are stronger than others. They include: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and you guessed it ‘receiving gifts.’ When I took the quiz, years ago, I scored a zero for receiving gifts. Now do not get me wrong, I love having someone think of me enough to want to give me a gift but I have always had a hard time with the act of "receiving." I felt bad about receiving a gift whether that was because I never felt like I deserved it or because I felt an obligation to provide a gift back. Over the past two weeks God has shown me a new perspective that I would like to share in hopes that it brings you hope. Our past is full of the familiar and comfort and it makes sense to not want to leave that space for fear of the unknown but dear friend, your future is the greatest present you will ever receive. Your future, although holds an unknown, is a clean canvas where you have the power to write a new season. One with adventure, love, hope, friendship, positive attitude, positive change, and forgiveness. You and I were never meant to be stuck or live in the past; we were made to create and fufill a destiny. Our future is God’s gift to us and I have had a hard time being open to receiving it, but today as I begin this new year of twenty-eight I am going to choose to receive this present. And my challenge for you is to stop re-living seasons past of heartbreak, shame fear, loneliness, anger, sadness, confusion, and hopelessness. Instead, lift up your head and decide to receive the future as a gift and embrace it with open arms. Speak these words, of my former pastor, over your life today: Hope in my future gives me power in the present. Your friend, Andrea Rivera Philippians 3:13-14 "... but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."