Winding down the year <3
It seems like such a long time since the last time I posted.
We have enjoyed a great deal of family time that is so precious to me I am still holding it very close in my heart and just letting the end of this fast-passing year to play slow motion across my thoughts.
One of the Advent devotional books I purchased offered some lovely prompts to journal the highs and lows, ups and downs, joys and sorrows of, not only, the past four weeks of this Holy celebration season of Christ’s birth but also the year we are ending.
It also sets up a place for prayer for the coming year.
As you might suspect, I am relishing these prompts to pause and reflect and ponder.
We have had so many good things this year – extra time with family and extended family, health, material things that make life easy and then…
like you, I would guess, I said good-bye to some things this year.
Some needed to go and I finally came to a place where I could release them after having grieved appropriately.
There were some things God gently removed with clear direction and then other things that were taken by surprise and yet, as I leaned hard into knowing that He had known it was coming, He has brought so much growth and healing.
There are some other things that I have been dragging along for far too long that I would love to leave on the pages of this 2019 calendar and with His help, I will do it!
And there are some hopes and dreams that I have talked myself out of and explained to Him are just not in the cards that I plan to pick up. I look forward to what I will be able to say was accomplished this time next year.
If you stop here on a regular part of your day, then I suspect there is something about the way I view life and faith and this journey that speaks to your heart.
So may I look unblinkingly and straight into your eyes and your soul this morning and urge you to take time to not just put the Christmas away and make some resolutions and move on to the next thing?
I encourage you to fix a cup of coffee or tea or cocoa or whatever your comfort beverage is and find a quiet place in your home and reflect on the past twelve months.
Ask God to show you the hard places that He brought you through.
Go through your calendar and note the wonderful times you had with family and friends.
What changes happened that you kind of knew would come and then the ones that took you by surprise?
How did He show Himself faithful and kind and good?
Where did you grow, even just a little bit, stronger and wiser and more compassionate?
Who did you help and who helped you through some things?
Stand up then and go look out the imaginary door that is opening onto what 2020 will be for you and yours.
What are you tired of carrying that you need to just leave with the year that is slipping away so you can walk a little more freely into 2020?
Face the truth that you have no idea what life will look like when the earth completes another full rotation around the sun over the next 365.256 days.
Commit it all to the One who does.
Consider how you will make your life more fertile for His work to be completed in you.
Blessings on you as you allow God to open up your eyes and mind and heart to all He has done and all He is able to do <3