I always love the beginning of a new year–a fresh start filled with hope and potential. As I sit at the beginning of 2014, however, there are known difficulties ahead–the imminent loss of a friend and ministry partner to cancer and a continuing difficult time in my job. It has been hard to look forward with hope. Today I wrote this in an email to a friend as I was sharing how I was feeling about the coming year: “For 2014 I’m embracing God’s grace, which is sufficient for all our needs and the path to joy!” So the word grace had already rolled off my tongue today. Then later, I read a blog post by Ann Voskamp called, The Future is Bright. She said, “Every mountain that every Christian ever faces, the Lord levels with sufficient grace: The Lord Will Provide. Jesus flattens that mountain before you with HIs Grace: The Lord will Provide. With enough strength. With enough wisdom. With More Than Enough of Himself.” Yes, grace is my word! [2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”]