Well, I went through 2016 without a single post.
I'm writing not so much because my former blogging community is still around to read, but more for my own sake.
Life has changed a lot in the ten years it's been since I started this blog. The recent years have brought me a lot of reasons to be intentional about nurturing my faith. I've grown extremely tired of worrying and having that old feeling of impending doom which is especially strong at night - that's how it was before I knew Christ. After Christ, nights were the best time for me to walk around outside, praying and meditating on God. Some of my best memories are of laying on top of my mom's silver Jeep Cherokee, staring at the stars, listening to my iPod, and contemplating this incredible new love that I'd acquired out of nowhere.
Sin and worry are not worth the price you pay. Focusing on worldly things is hilariously tragic. Scrambling to fortify yourself against potential accidents, losing someone, pain, health problems, car problems, home repairs, etc is overwhelming if you don't have God.
I honestly do not know how people who don't have Christ do it and stay sane. A few months ago, I had my first and only panic attack while home alone. While I was eating I experienced this sudden, irrational fear of choking on my food and it felt like I was losing all control over myself.
Conversely, when I am intentional about focusing my mind on Christ and trusting Him for absolutely everything, I get my peace back. One day, He will return to pick me up or I will die and all of this will seem like some silly dream I had a long, long time ago.
I look forward to that Day. I have no idea what a carefree, painless, sinless world looks like, but I trust it's coming. Some people have claimed to have seen it and describe their experience, but I seriously doubt their experience. Paul said he saw it and said that he heard and saw things that were not lawful for men to speak about. That gives me even more hope.
Imagine all pain and discomfort vanishing in a split second. All worry, all anxiety, all stress, all weakness melts away immediately like it never existed.
For now, I set my mind on Christ and look forward to that. In Christ, I can experience a taste of what is to come.
