On January 1st, 2023, I launched my book "Praise Him Anyway: The Blessing is the Storm". I was overwhelmed by the show of love and support from people I have encountered across my lifetime. Friends from my community, college, work, and church all converged to congratulate me for my recent accomplishment. It made me realize just how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life and makes me treasure these connections all the more. Having individuals around you who can support you through thick and thin, who can cry with you one day and celebrate with you the next, is a blessing not to be taken for granted.
I recognize that many do not have such a support system and may be surrounded by those with more of a zero-sum mentality, the belief that there is only a short supply of blessings to go around. That, if you are blessed, then somehow it takes away from their opportunity to experience good things in life. That your win ultimately results in their coinciding loss. Unfortunately, this mentality is all too common, especially in American culture. Unlike many other cultures, we operate from a mindset of scarcity, a paradigm of limitedness. But I debunk that narrative...
I challenge such thinking and choose to believe instead that the Creator is one of abundance, that there is an overflow of blessings at his disposal to dispense to whoever he wishes and whenever he chooses. Your being blessed need not hinder me from receiving what he has in store for me and vice versa. My prayer for you all in 2023 is that you experience much success and an abundance of blessings, that you open your heart and mind to the workings of the Creator all around you. He can and he is already doing great things and we can celebrate and reap the benefits of it all together. Let's celebrate a new year, new opportunities, fresh perspective, and each other as we begin this journey through 2023.