The idea of “New Year’s resolutions” are surrounded by a paradoxical negative stigma, due to the unfortunate truth that they’re usually unkept.

Although the New Year may seem like a good time for self improvement, loosing a few pounds or flossing your teeth daily isn’t something easily  motivated simply by the turning of a calendar digit. Our weaknesses and flaws take grit and consistency to banish, and a disruption of the comfort of our everyday lives. Of course, we all crave to be comfortable. I suppose that’s why New Year’s resolutions tend to fail by mid-February.

Thankfully, this hasn’t been the case for my 2016. Well, truthfully, I did fail at my smaller resolutions like cutting my caffeine addiction and I was not the slightest bit nicer to my sister. However, last January I decided that 2016 would be the year I would make a commitment to strengthen my faith and my relationship with Jesus.

A year of seeking meaningful conversation and reflection through prayer and journaling has lead me to just that. And rather than ending 2016 prideful, I am humbled. Little by little I am learning to see God’s hand in every day. I am heaping with joy, and I am overcome with peace. And with complete honesty, this was by no means my easiest year, definitely not “smooth sailing.”

But, I have learned more about contentment in every situation, as my fears have been drowned in perfect love. And because of grace, the hardest year of my life has also been the most blissful year of my life.

But I am after more of this crazy bliss. After racking my brain trying to come up with the most radical and profound way to seek God deeper this year – (thoughts included: fleeing the country and becoming a nun, never cussing again – ever, giving every penny I earn to someone who needs it?) – I think what I have come to realize is the best way to go deeper in my own faith – and what God is really asking me to do – is to help others go deeper in their own.

That is my ridiculously long explanation of why I am here. I am here to share the good news, to spread the joy of the Lord. I complete garbage when it comes to talking to camera or singing worship music or sharing my faith to strangers. Well actually, I am complete garbage at writing too. But regardless, I love to write about our great great God, even though I’m not the best at it.

I hope that if you happen to stumble across my silly little Jesus blog that maybe you’ll give it a read, and maybe I will be the person who helped you discover something you’ve never discovered before. That your life, like mine, will become more and more beautiful in His light this year!!

with love, Riley

PS- I do hope your new working out/healthy eating/hygienic improvement resolutions have survived week 1!! :’)