Motivation is usually pretty strong for the first two days of the beginning of the year, but then something comes up or we forget our resolutions, or we simply become imperfect in giving the goals that we set and we just want to throw in the towel and give up…BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THE ATONEMENT IS ABOUT.
Have you ever really stopped to think about the symbolism behind the new year? That clean slate that everyone loves, the motivation for striving to be a better person, all the goal setting, and the chance to start again. Isn’t that the gift Christ already gave us? Isn’t that what the atonement and repentance are already about? How exciting that we can soak in the feelings of this new year to then remember we can have this ANYTIME we want!
You don’t have to wait for the New Year to repent or rely on the atonement. You don’t have to wait on time to use the gift of repentance and make new goals to be better. Every single day is special because every single day Christ is with you and you have the opportunity to rely on his grace (Ether 12:27) and be made perfect in Him. The Book of Mormon says nothing about New Year’s only.
Here’s one little secret for you, life is what you make it. Remember how in the Book of Mormon it talks about faith over and over again? We not only need to have faith in Heavenly Father that He can do ALL things, and faith in a loving Savior who makes everything possible…but we also need faith in ourselves. Faith in your life, faith in good things to come, faith that you can experience joy, faith in opportunities, and in dreams coming true! Without faith, we are left to our own strength and then of course life isn’t as good as it could’ve been. It takes faith to believe your life can and will be good.
Touch your heart right now, do you feel that? That’s a heartbeat that God has blessed you with and it’s beating right now because YOU have a mission. Don’t you dare forget that YOUR purpose matters! As you trust in faith, looking to Christ, you can fulfill that mission you have been given to fulfill this very day!