I've been meaning to do this for days but sometimes I just want to sit and soak in all that God has done and especially at the ending/beginning of a new year. He has been so tremendously graceful towards us, showing us things and working in ways that even a year ago I would not have imagined. It was a fabulous Christmas, in fact it's been a fabulous month and actually a fabulous year. No, that does not mean it has been stress free or problem free but God has ruled and reigned and shown time after time that He is still on His throne and in complete charge and He watches over His children if we are obedient to Him.
We had some of the greatest family time over the holidays. Our family along with my brother's family decided to completely surprise my parents at Christmas with a large screen tv and surprise them doesn't even begin to describe it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone receive such a gift with so much humility and thankfulness. My mom had already cried all day over their gift from Chrissie and Michael which was a beautiful frame filled with family wedding pics...I got mine too and was overwhelmed as well.
We had some precious time with Kaylin, Stephen's girlfriend from Toccoa. Wow, her parents have done a fab job and we are getting to enjoy the work they have done. Thank you godly parents out there who know it is worth the work!!! That girl has more spiritual depth than most adults I know. To hear her talk about the spiritual disciplines she practices in her life is amazing to me. Jessica got to go to Passion and experience a conference intended for those in her generation, a call to rise up and do something great for the Kingdom. I'm praying it will not have been just a great conference for all of these kids but a life altering call to serve and take the Word to those now and those who will come behind them. What an awesome generation the Lord is raising up. We got to stay home and watch much of it online together, snuggled up on our couch with hot chocolate and the laptop on...love how God uses technology for His greater good. Huge clap offering for the only God worthy of everything!!
We also got to spend some phenomenal time with our friends Joe and Karen Sawyer, friends from Greenville that we went to Boston with. They haven't seen our kids in forever and we so wanted them to connect. They are just the kind of people that you want your kids to sit at their feet and soak in all their godly wisdom and insight. It was some of the best conversation around their dining table that we have had in years, actually it played a huge role in some of my thoughts going into the new year.
I don't make resolutions. I kinda don't see the point. I do however like to improve and change and add/subtract things in my life but more on an ongoing basis than just the beginning of a year. I've decided that I am very much lacking in the area of memorizing scripture. I have a lot of it in my head but I'm terrible at remembering the reference so I'm determined to learn 2 a month and retain them. That will happen only with God's help and that's what I want, something that makes me depend totally on Him. I also need to do some fasting, not just from food but from some other things and I know He will help me with that as well. My first verse of the new year to memorize and set the tone for my year is Gal 1:10...Am I now trying to win the approval of men or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men I would not be a servant of Christ. Being a servant of Christ is what I want most so the people pleasing, impressing has to go even more than it already has. Sorry if that bothers some but there's no pleasing God when we constantly try to please and impress man so determined not to do it. I want to be focused on what God thinks of me more than what people think. We talked about this with the Sawyers and talked about how so many are so wrapped up in looking good rather than being good, looking holy rather than being holy. We fool everyone but God with that. Sometimes we care what people think of us and "how that makes us look" and worry about our kids messing up because that makes us look bad rather than trying to get our kids where they need to be spiritually. We worry so much about what people who don't mean a hill of beans thinks. I also continue to ask God to draw my heart to people who have a heart for Him. He has brought so many of those in my life in the past few years that I feel greedy asking for more but I love being with those who love talking about Jesus and pushing me and prodding me on to know Him better. Jesus asks His disciples in Mark 8 a question, "And don't you remember?" All Christ had done in their presence and they still didn't get it. It's important to remember... to look back and remember where we were and what God has done. I want to remember and I want to understand, I want my eyes to see and my ears to hear all that God has for me, What about you?
No comments:
Post a Comment