Wow, 2010 has been a year I don't think I will ever forget. For some, this day means nothing. It's just another day. For me, this day is a time for me to reflect. This has been a hard year. It is one that has tested my faith and made me feel as though I am barely hanging on. But as I reflect, I am not going to be reflecting on all those trials and situations that have caused me to tremble in fear. I am not going to allow my circumstances to define my year. It is a year where I am praising God. I am praising Him for never leaving me. Never letting me stay down when I fall. I have watched Him draw me closer to Him more this past year than in any other in my life. This has been a teaching year for me. It is the year that has defined my faith. What do I mean? Either the Lord is enough or He isn't. When I say He is enough He has to be. This is the year I have learned that He is enough and He is all I need. We have lost a lot. We have feared losing everything. When your husband has not worked for two years lets just say it takes a toll on every facet of your life. That's why I say this year has been a test. I have watched the Lord move in my husband. Let me tell you a bit about him. He is quiet. This year has been humbling for my husband. I have watched him grow and reach to the Lord like never before. I have seen him trust God when everything is breaking. My husband is so thankful. I am blessed to have a front seat in watching him become the man God has called him to be. I watch him reach out to others and give a helping hand. It's funny really. It seems the poorer we are the more we cherish.
Life is not about what we have. It's about who we have. When we have Jesus Christ in our life everything has purpose and meaning. Now, things in our life can get much worse before it ever gets better. By the world's standards we would be fools depending on the Lord. By God's standards I pray He sees us as obedient and faithful. Life's meaning is grounded in Christ Jesus. It's your family surrounding you. It is your friends who bless you. It is finding joy in everything. It is looking around that bend you can't see and trusting God is around the corner. It is letting go of all that is unimportant and embracing all that is. We must search our heart to find out just what means the most.
I am closing this year with a new faith. I am letting go of yesterday and inviting tomorrow as a challenge. It is a new journey and I want to see each day for what it is. A gift. I want to live in such a way that my life brings glory to my Savior.
I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. Sure, we all seem to make them, but none really keep them. I say, give this new year to the Lord and trust Him with each day. Allow Him to plan your future and prayerfully seek Him for His perfect will for your life. Follow through with what He has called us to and praise Him for those easy times and those times that bring us to our knees. After all, isn't it those very times that He shows Himself even more? What are thankful for my friends? I would love to hear what you are praising Him for.
Happy New Year my friends!!
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
