I love a good year end review, don't you?
For we move ahead best when we fully understand the life-altering impact of what we've experienced and what we continue to emerge from. Our rose-colored glasses come off and reality shows up bright and clear. We don't skirt the hard painful stuff or pretend that our lives haven't been turned upside down. We acknowledge that we are works in progress and embrace what is true about ourselves, our situations, our souls ... whether we like what's occurred in recent days or not.
And like Mary, we sit in stillness, pondering all the things that have claimed our attention, our obedience, our commitment, our very souls {Luke 2:19}.
Whether we write it out, talk it over, or pray it through, we do well to continue the hard work of walking through our pain ... as well as celebrating our joyful victories and accomplishments. We spy the golden miracles, we wrestle with our tough questions, we grieve our myriad of losses, we rejoice in the loving care that's been sent our way.
We ask for forgiveness, discernment, courage. For we've been changed. The exquisite gift of reflection serves to remind us that we're not who we were all those months ago when the year kicked into gear.
And that can be a very good thing.
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Numbers {usually} don't lie. The posts that hit home for you this year pretty much tracked my whirlwind of a journey step by step. Hands down. So instead of putting them in some kind of numerical order, I'm simply sharing them in the order that they were written. Just click on the red links to read / re-read.
Actually pulling this all together was good therapy. To see the year in black and white with all its beautiful relationships, heavy-duty challenges, searing heartbreak, and answered prayer has been helpful for me. Not necessarily easy, but clarifying.
There's a rhythm in there and I am leaning into the reality of that truth.
In the midst of it all, I see that God is in control. I feel His tender love and comfort. I know He rejoices over me with singing, even in those moments when I water His feet with my tears. He promises He has plans that give me hope and a future.
I leave 2015 expectant.
Along the way, the fruit of His Spirit's faithful presence hasn't changed one single bit. The love, joy, and peace haven't wandered off or gotten lost in the shuffle. Instead, their sacred bounty has only increased.
I'm grateful.
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So here we go ... I'd love if you'd grab a cup of coffee and settle in with me for a quiet time of reflection, a bit of a walk down memory lane. There's alot here to sit with, so if this is an insanely jam-packed fa-la-la-la-la kind of day, feel free to come back when you're craving a needed respite from the waves of hustle, bustle, and noise.
And I'll see you again after Christmas ...
January
February
March
April
April
May
May
July
July
August
September
October
November
December
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Comfort & Joy ~
