Strive to Thrive

Even though we've already entered the new year, I would like to say that I'm not the biggest fan of New Years Eve. It seems to just be one of those evenings that people forget their inhibitions and blame it on alcohol. To me, that's no excuse and just plain silly. On top of that, most people will ask you how you celebrated and if you didn't spend your night doing something completely outrageous or surrounded by friends, it seems as though many frown upon that, which makes no sense.
I'm also not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. It seems as if you are just setting yourself up for failure because most people resolve to do something that is too extreme to actually accomplish. This is why I'm choosing to not make a resolution, but am instead going to strive to thrive. The idea came from listening to Switchfoot's song "Thrive." The lyrics that caught my ear were "I wanna thrive not just survive." The entire premise for this song seems to center on spiritual warfare and how we desire to conform more to the Son, but the voices that Satan plants in our heads seem to get in the way. Because we are all haunted by our own inner demons, whether it's our past, how we treated others, or sins we try to keep hidden, we tend to feel like fakes when we claim we are Christians. This feeling makes it seem like we are just surviving in this world, instead of thriving in God's love. We need to not give in to the lies that Satan plants in our minds so we no longer feel like strangers in our own skin. When we're uncomfortable in our own skin, it is apparent to everyone around us, which can be a hinderance to sharing the Gospel. If we don't seem to believe the Good News ourselves, why would others believe us when we share with them?
Starting in 2012, my desire is to try and thrive more, instead of just surviving. I spent the end of 2011 just surviving, but now that I have discovered some answers in life "coincidently" (I don't believe in coincidences), I feel that I can finally look to the future and leave my past behind. Verses to focus on in order to thrive can be found in Matthew 5:13-16. These verses state, "'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.'"
Everybody's goal should be to shine their light into the lives of others. If you get caught up despairing over your own life and circumstances, you will lose your saltiness and stifle your light, which is then no use to others. Try to focus on what you do have so that your light can shine through to others and you can thrive thanks to the Father in heaven because just surviving is no way to live your life.