be thankful for what God has done.
be hopeful for what He has yet to do.
be worshipful always.
As this year comes to an end, I like to go back and reflect on how this theme has been evident in the last year!
Thankfulness | This year I learned a lot about having a spirit of thankfulness. I read Selections from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the actual book and because I was gifted this one and it had pretty pictures! A rough overview of the book is to make a list of things in life that denote thanks to God. Ann makes a list and as she is making the list, she is amazed at how many more things she wants to thank God for. Thankfulness breeds more thankfulness and it's a really beautiful thing - because it is more than writing a list, it's giving thanks to God for the mundane, everyday blessings that He is providing. It is a change in perspective and it is a way to live in the present of such a fast-paced, surface level lifestyle our society promotes. God is present in all our moments, it's whether we recognize them that makes the difference in our hearts. Hearts of gratitude change the speedy, restless heart to a heart that knows God's rest. A few things that I'm thankful for this year - having the opportunity to meet like-minded friends at church and begin building community; God providing me with a morning commute to watch the sunrise each day; the ability to travel and visit friends; a vocation that brings joy to my heart; and family that helps me along the way. Thanks be to God!
Hopeful | As I've journeyed through this year, there have been moments where I have given up hope in my circumstances. Just as everything seemed to be going 'alright', a storm swooped in to give me the reality check I needed. February 2015 marked the one-year anniversary of my mother's passing - remembering my mom's last few days feels like forever ago and yesterday all at the same time. It's one of those things that never goes away, but we learn to adapt. I see myself adapting, in small ways. Sometimes I wonder if I've just built up walls to stop myself from feeling so intensely. Then my mom's best friend, my godmother, goes through the exact same thing. She was taken to the hospital at the end of November and passed on December 1st. BOOM! All of those walls came down and I was left with a slew of emotions. I'm still sorting those out...it's kind of one of those situations where no matter how much you try to make sense of it all, you have to surrender to not knowing the why. In the midst of another hard, I am reminded of the hope I have in Jesus. And that one day, He will come and make ALL things new! He will restore that which is broken. He will wipe the tears from our eyes! He will heal and fill our hearts! And our souls will be satisfied! Completely by Him! I can't wait for that day! As I wait in hopeful anticipation, I desire to place my hope in the Rock of my salvation! Because all other ground is sinking sand. I can hope in money, success, relationships, appearances, but they will always...and I mean always fail! May I be anchored to the only One who will hold me secure, who will always keep His promises, and will fill my soul! My prayer is that I would hold fast to Him because He is God and not for his blessings!
Worshipful | One of my favorite authors released a book in October and magically it ended up delivered before that - God's timing, y'all! It is called, It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke and it asks all the hard questions that really get to the core of what I believe. The chapter that I am currently on (I know, I'm a slow reader), is about the kingdom of God and how it isn't where we think. It isn't way up in the sky in the future, but it's here and now. When I say Jesus is my Savior and Lord, what does that mean? It means Jesus died in my place on the Cross which was the pure, perfect sacrifice needed to atone for my sin and the sins of all humanity once and for all AND He rose again on the third day, conquering death and making it possible for me to have a relationship with God. That's the Savior part. What about Lord? This part requires a surrender to the authority of said Lord, namely Christ. You can read the book for a much better explanation, but from here I draw the idea of worship. As I spent much of this year giving thanks and seeing many of the blessings God had given me, even when times were hard, I also saw that I began worshipping those things. See my previous post for more details on that. I want to worship the Creator and not the created. I'm so easily tempted to settle for second or third best. When I surrender to the authority of God, I allow His Kingdom to reign in my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I seek for my ways to become like His ways. This will require changes, some more challenging than others, but all for God to be greater. May my gaze be on the One who has the power to change me from the inside out. And I pray that as this next year unfolds, others could see more of God's power working in and through my life!
You, Lord, make ALL things new! Happy New Year, Everyone!
