A NEW YEAR A NEW YOU! Mental Health: Written by: Caleb Thomas, M.A. LMHC Hello Urban Experience Readers, If you are reading this article, Praise Jesus, you have been blessed to see the beginning of a New Year. Tomorrow as the bible tells us is not promised to any of us. There are numerous ways to die, but after death comes the judgment, which determines your eternal destiny, although it has taken me a while I have come to the realization this world we call earth is temporary, and I have a life I will live for an eternity with God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, I hope to see you there, however, not any time soon. This New Year I’m Thankful for success, as well as failure, you may be wondering why are you thankful for failure, well I’m Thankful for failure because failure is a wake-up call to do better and to get back up and try again. God didn’t design us to be failures do happen, he called us to be more than conquerors. Some of these failures you may or may not be able to relate to, but as I think about my failures over the past few years I think about being fired unjustly, being divorced, having estranged relationships and division with my child, having to shut down a non-profit I created all while going into debt trying to keep it afloat, being out of shape and overweight to the point of health issues that nearly ended in a stroke, a heart attack or even death. This doesn’t include dealing with external factors such as my mom’s declining health, and the grief and loss and depression from the death of a loved one. Last year I titled my article Congratulations You Did It. In this New Year I want you to envision what the New Year looks like for a New You. It is important to acknowledge your failures whether internal or external, and after addressing them think about where do you want to be, by the end of 2024. St John 17:21 tells us that we can be one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, therefore we can do all things through Christ who Strengthens us. So you may be asking how do I turn my failures into success. First recognize most times it doesn’t happen overnight, but it takes a process, sometimes months, or even years, but you begin by chipping away and making gradual changes. The first thing I had to do was stop mumbling and complaining, we’re familiar with the saying don’t cry over spilled milk, well I say cry but then move on, don’t continue to allow that to be your only focus, and realize mistakes happen circumstances happen life happens and take responsibility for what was your part, learn to acknowledge that and repent and ask God for forgiveness and potentially the individual for forgiveness. For things out of your control again realize in this life we will have to deal with suffering, and we don’t get a chance to choose our suffering, but
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