5 Things You Should Expect in 2018

New years is a great time to celebrate, in fact, I'd like to think that I threw some of the most epic all nighters when I was doing youth ministry, on New Years Eve every year.  Looking back at the previous year is a good exercise and making goals and resolutions for the coming year can also be a good exercise.  There is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating, but we should also take a smart approach to the coming year.  Here is what you and everyone else should expect in the coming year and, I hope, some thoughtful ideas for how you should approach those things.

1. There will be things to celebrate.  Even the worst years in our lives have opportunities for celebration.  It is good to celebrate, "rejoice with those who rejoice" (Rom. 12:15)  When you do celebrate, don't do it alone, find people and celebrate the good things in their life and let them celebrate with you.
2. There will be things to mourn.  There isn't a single year in the history of the world that has not had tragedy.  It might be tragedy that hits close to home and it might not be.  We shouldn't live in fear of such things and we shouldn't be anxious about them, but we should expect them (Phil 4:6; Rom. 8:15).  the second half of Rom. 12:15 reminds us to "mourn with those who mourn."  Just like opportunities to rejoice should be done in community, so should mourning.  Today, I'm mourning with the Parrish family as the dad and husband was killed in the line of duty as a Deputy in Douglas County, CO.  
3. You should expect the unexpected.  The future is infamous for being difficult to predict.  For some people unexpected things are difficult to deal with.  "Rolling with the punches" is a skill and some pick up on it easier than others.  Nevertheless, you can't plan or prepare for everything.  Learn to adjust and roll with the punches.  There may be unexpected job loss, pregnancies, gifts, sickness, etc.  Good, bad or both, expect the unexpected.
4. Expect growth.  People don't stop growing just because they stop growing taller.  Whether you are young or old, you need to continue to grow as a person.  Each year I pick an author or a person in history to read (or read about) so I can continue to grow as a person and a leader.  This year I have been reading Os Guiness (I started with Schaeffer, but I was having a hard time so I switched it up).  Of course growth isn't just about reading, it is about taking what life brings your way and looking at even the hard things as opportunities for growth (Prov. 24:32).  
5. The world will change.  As the saying goes, "the only certain thing in life is change."  A lot of people have a hard time with change, others do better with change.  Reality is full of change whether we like it or not.  Some change is positive, some is negative, and much of it is painful.  Every change has potential negative effects as well as opportunities.  To the extent that we can, we should prepare for change, but when we can't, roll with the punches.  

I hope 2018 is a great year for you, but even if it isn't filled with all kinds of great things, I hope it will be a year of growth.

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