Would you rather float down a lazy river or swim across the ocean? That's an easy question for me; I'd pick lazy river nearly every time. I love the relaxation and ease. You don't have to really worry about where you're floating; the jet streams do that for you. You get to kick back and relax. Swimming the ocean, however, is vastly different and way more difficult. You actually have to make decisions. You are the one that has to take control, or else the ocean will control you. At the beginning of this year, I was thinking about what I wanted to focus on this year. A few years ago, I'd done the one word challenge, and I knew I wanted to do it again this year.

I chose Intentional as my word of 2018. Intentional means "done with intention or on purpose; intended," according to dictionary.com. I want to choose God first in every circumstance. I want to choose to be joyful despite my emotions. I want to choose to love even when that other person isn't loving me back. I want to choose to be like Jesus. I want to choose life, not death. I want to choose to speak life to everyone. I want to choose to be FEARLESS and FREE and STRONG.

I've finally chosen a tagline for The SoCal Gal: "Intentionally living with purpose." As Christians, in our walk with God, we must choose our daily decisions. Everything we do affects something. Did you thank the last person who gave something to you? That could leave her grateful and happy for your courtesy and thankfulness. Did you yell at your little brother when he was annoying you? That could leave bitterness and make your relationship drift.

Being intentional means making choices with a specific reason in mind. One thing I would like to work on doing more intentionally is praying and reading my Bible more. I would like to exercise more self-control and gratefulness as well. It's so easy to slack off and forget to pray because "I'm so tired" or not have my devotion in the morning because "I don't have time" or give in and say yes to a bad choice because "What's one more time?"

Being intentional means saying no to ungodliness and conforming to the world. This is one problem in life that's really hit me this past year: how many Christians conform to the world. It might not always seem obvious, but doing anything that tolerates sin even a little is wrong. This could be spending time with the wrong crowd, lying, believing anything against the Bible, making social media your number one or making fun of the president.

Being intentional means knowing your purpose. What is your purpose on earth? Are you living that out, or is that "purpose" just a cover-up for what you really stand for?

In the next few posts, we'll be covering these three topics. I'm so excited for this new series! This week, I challenge you to:

• Examine your heart and ask yourself what purpose you are living for
• Is that the purpose you want it to have?
• What's something you can change to make your purpose + actions coherent?

• Pray for intentional living
• In your life
• In your family
• In your friends

• Choose to do, say and think things with purpose
• Know the impact these actions have and use them for His glory!

• Ask yourself if the current is guiding you, or are you guiding the current
• Current = the world's ways
• You can either go with the flow or go against the flow

Happy New Year! 2017 is really here. And I'm still sorta blinking my eyes in surprise. Well...not really. In a perfect world, this would've been posted on January 1, but I got a bit sidetracked. This semester, I have more school, so I won't be posting as often. I'll try to post at least twice a month, though, so stay tuned! I'll try not to disappear for too long. I took an unplanned four week break from blogging without letting you know, so this turned into a Lunar New Year post now (Happy year of the rooster!). Oh, well. Better late than never, right? Heading back to the subject, I feel like the years just flip by faster and faster each year. Even though the days sometimes drag by, it seems like we pin up the new calendar sooner every year. You really have to seize every moment.

In the beginning of each year, we tend to think, okay, I guess last year's resolution didn't work, but now's the time to start over. Let's say you've made a few resolutions here and there over the years, but the thing is, by June or so, you've forgotten or lost interest in that goal. (Sad, I know. I've done it a few times...) Then the next new year flips by, and you decide that this time you'll reach my goal. And then you forget. Repeat that a couple of times and that's basically my general new year thoughts. On New Year's Day, I was in the car, on the way to church, thinking over the phrase "new year." Generally, it's thought of as a blank slate - brand new, not written on. Although in a way it's true - we don't know what the future holds - there is Someone who does knows what your year is gonna look like. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) comes to mind on this topic:

For me, this is what these verses mean for me, specifically regarding this new year:

I don't know about you, but this really inspires and encourages me. This year, 2017, I personally want Lamentations 3:22-23 to be my anthem. When I'm discouraged, I want to remember that God is still at my side, cheering me on. When I let others down, or myself down, I want to remember that God is my comfort and that He still loves me. When I do something right, I want to remember that all good things come from God!

Even though we'll mess up every day, whether it be not going to bed early, speaking kindly, or being patient, we can have comfort and assurance that God's mercies are brand new every morning.  If you feel like you've already stained your "blank slate," I've got some news for you: God's not keeping score. If you are a child of God, then He's already forgiven you! You don't need to worry about being good enough because when your Father sees you, He sees Jesus - a truly perfect slate.

Another thing to keep in mind is that our plans for the year are not the same as the Lord's. So even if you mess up on your plan or don't follow through on your new year's resolution, it's okay because God has an even bigger and better plan for you, and He keeps His promises no matter what! In fact, every morning He has brand new mercies waiting just for you. This year, even if you feel wearied by the busyness of life, or you still haven't completed your new year's resolution from last year, take heart. God has a big plans for you, as it says in Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Your future is secure in His hands. Do not fear - God's love lasts on forever, as does His mercies, faithfulness, and promises.

So what does this look like in my life? I want to remember how loved and cherished I am by God and my family, without feeling discouraged or unsure of their love for me because of my actions. I want to seize every moment and use it for God's glory, because every single second is a gift from Him. Because God is so loving to me, regardless of my actions, I want to share His steadfast love with others as well.

Are you aware of God's steadfast love and mercy for you? Is it impacting the way you live your life?