“I have never been here before.”

And neither have you.

2018 brings with it a blank canvas of a new year.  Brimming with a fresh sense of hope and anticipation, we can all look forward to putting the challenges of the past behind us.  Even when an area of our life is unchanged in the new year, we get a refreshed sense of vigor to tackle it once again.

But the big question is “Are you the same?”  Emphatically, my answer is “No!”

Think about where you were when you started 2017 to where you are today.  Here are some observations from my own 2017 that changed from the beginning of the year to the start of this year:

• We had not found a house on the lake to look at, pursue or purchase.
• We had not bought a home in the last twenty-three years.
• We had not renovated a home twenty-three years.
• We had only four grandkids – now we have five.
• We did not have a wedding to look forward to…glad that is over!
• We did  not ever go white water rafting together before – and to tackle the Grand Canyon…definitely a marriage builder.
• I have never crossed the 50-year-old mark before – not a big deal.  (I do use it a lot when I forget something.)
• I have never owned, maintained or even driven a pontoon boat before.  (Thank you YouTube!)
• I have never shot an 85 in golf before but I have shot over 100 lots of times.
• I have never grouted floors before and it was a traumatic as you can imagine.
• I have never been as depleted physically, mentally and emotionally at one time and yet still felt stronger than ever spiritually. (Another writing – pretty amazing journey.)

I love doing this simple exercise.  Think about what has changed in your life in the last year.  Then, ask the same question with different time frames:  six months, 3 months, month, two weeks, and even since last week.  We live in a world that is constantly changing and it happens, many times, without fanfare or identification.

You are the constant in the journey.  Yet, you are changing as well.  I am not the man today that I was a week ago.  I am wiser, stronger, more mature, smarter, kinder, more humble, more curious and more grateful.  You are too!  Everyday is God’s purpose and plan to grow you in a relationship with him.  Everyday is a step of growth to being more like Him.  Everyday is a chance to stretch beyond what you know from yesterday and all the days before it.  Everyday you get to conquer new territories that you haven’t seen before…because you have never been there with all the tools, resources, abilities and talents that you have today.

So, today is new.  But it is a set up for tomorrow.  What are you going to do?

Go get ‘Em!