Here’s the thing – if I’d been asked at the end of 2012 for my thoughts looking forward into 2013, it would be laughable looking at it now. There is no way that I would have or could have come up with much of what has transpired over the past twelve months. And so as I sit here, putting this post together, praying for and thinking about the year ahead, I know that there is no way for me know what God has in store for me in 2014.
One of the things that I want to do with this blog is to be honest in my writing about what I’m feeling and working through. I’d have to lie to say that there wasn’t much fear in my life during 2013 because in reality, there was a lot of fear to deal with. At some point in 2014 I will be writing about fear and what I have worked through, but for now, suffice it to say that 2013 was a scary year. Not a scary day, or week – a scary year. There was a lot of positive in 2013 and a lot of really good things as well, but I’ve had to deal with a lot of fear. Thankfully, God was with me and continues to be with me, and that is why I’m still somewhat sane at the end of 2013!!
However, as I look towards 2014 I have this gut feeling that some might ascribe to women’s intuition, (or a bad pizza!!) but it’s really much more of a Holy Spirit revealing that God is going to continue to work things out in my faith and life, that He’s not finished yet. The scary part about this is that in 2013 God used an icy raging river to work on me and while I wouldn’t trade those moments in the river with God for anything, I also have absolutely no desire to go through anything remotely as terrifying as that night ever again.
So, if there is more to be done and worked out in my faith and life, I know that means more tests, more stretching, more obedience and much more of Him and less of me. If that means I need to get into another icy raging river in the future, than when that moment comes, I would likely do it. Why? Because while I don’t understand God’s ways all of the time, I do know that He can and does work any situation for our good – not always a happy, fairy-tale ending good – but good in the sense that He accomplishes what He wills for our lives and I’ve learned to trust my life and the lives of those I love to God’s good and perfect care.
That’s fairly abstract, non-specific and ‘safe’ in the sense that pretty much anything could happen in 2014 and I could get it to fit into the above description. Here’s a bit about what I know about God – He’s concrete not abstract, He’s specific not vague and He’s all about stretching, testing and growing us rather than keeping us comfortable.
I think in spite of my lack of knowledge about blogging and writing that something pretty significant is going to come out of this effort. Whether that’s something external and tangible or an internal process for me alone, I don’t know. I also think that doors of unusual and unlikely opportunities to be light and salt are going to continue to open for Dan & me. I mean unusual and unlikely in that the opportunities won’t be anything that we could have or would have been able to manufacture on our own. Lastly I think that along with the ‘new’ things that God started in our lives in 2013 in our ministry in Frankford that He’s going to add to that list of ‘new’ things in 2014.
So, there you have it, three separate, distinct things for 2014:
- Something significant coming out of writing this blog
- Unusual and unlikely opportunities to be light and salt
- New things in ministry
One thing is for sure – my choice is to move forward with God in my life, however that plays out.
I hope you stick around to see what He does next!
Be Blessed!