It looks like our temperatures will finally be dropping this weekend, just in time to slip on a sweater, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and celebrate the new year.

We’ve seen our share of rough times the past few years. First Covid, then a wavering economy, followed up by Hurricane Ian. While Ian crashed into our shores last year, people are still rebuilding or waiting on insurance claims – and then another tropical storm system just days ago, way outside the usual season for these things. Some might even claim that God is punishing us.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

As we look to the new year officially kicking off in just a few days, rather than look too long at the destruction and disappointments, we here at Good News Pest Solutions would rather set our eyes on and pray for renewal in the coming year.

Pray for Hope

We are told that faith is ‘the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.’ Hope is positive, optimistic, and cheerful. Hope is when we say, despite what we see now, we believe that something better is on the horizon. Hope is the conviction that our present circumstances don’t define us, but, in our lives and in the world at large, we are convinced that things will improve.

Pray for Peace

Blessed are the peacemakers. Though we may be limited – very few of us can take action to relieve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, or solve the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas - we can each do our part. We should pray for peace in our world at large. But we can also make a difference in the lives of the people we see every day.

Take a step of peace and do your part to reconcile with an estranged family member or friend. When someone cuts you off in traffic, instead of creating more chaos or getting into a dangerous situation, just let it go and thank God no one was hurt. If you see friends or neighbors quarreling, see if you can offer a cooler head to find a compromise.

The world doesn’t need as many ambassadors and diplomats on the world stage as it needs people of peace in our everyday lives.

Pray for Love

This is a similar sentiment, especially for those who consider themselves followers of Christ. Love is, “the unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.” Pray for love between two people – not just for dating or marriage relationships, but more fraternal and platonic love. Pray for more love and joy in the world – for compassion and understanding. Pray for reconciliation for family members, for restoration and/or new love after a breakup or divorce.

Studies have shown that expressing love for another person, even if it is rejected or ignored, adds more positivity and hope to the world. We also know that the act of caring for someone can provide positive feelings for others. Marriages on the brink of divorce have been turned around because one partner chose to act in love without fear and found their affection deepening.

Every time we choose love over hate, goodwill over spite, grace over anger, we make the world a better place, bit by bit.

Pray for Charity

This might seem confusing, as we already covered love, but charity, while one of the synonyms of love, also has a deeper component. Charity is taking action out of love and compassion. So you donate to charity to help those who need assistance, whether poor, homeless, out of work, or just in need of a kind word and an outstretched hand. And true charity needs no thanks or recognition on Facebook – it is the act, not the thanks, that defines it.

We volunteer as charity – putting our hope for a better world and our love for one another into action. Doing our part to make the world a better place, to raise up a child in the way they should go, to supply an infrastructure for the needy to come and get food they may not be able to afford. Charity expresses love by giving with no expectation of a return.

Pray for the Future

As we take the last steps of 2023 and the first steps of 2024, we hope you’ll join with Good News Pest Solutions in praying for more love, hope, peace, and charity. We’re looking to the new year and focusing on the promise of a better world and life - and we hope you are too.

Our offices will be closed Monday, January 1, so our employees can relax and recover from the final celebrations of the closing year. But we’ll be back on Tuesday, ready to serve you and your family as we have been for over 34 years. As we strive for 35, we are renewing our commitment to offer the safest, greenest and most effective pest control on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Thanks for being here with us!