Beginning a New Decade

This is it!

January 1st of the year 2020! A whole brand new decade stretched out before us...

As is normal for this time of year, I've been reflecting on the year 2019... and for me, reflecting on the ending of 2018 too. Many of you know I was not in a good place at the end of 2018... I was burned out, depressed, and in a darkness I didn't think I could escape from... I know now I never would have gotten out of there alone. But God... these simple but powerful words made all the difference. He placed the right people into my life, the people I needed to move forward. These special people included my old office manager, my roommate & sister, and a therapist named Susan.

I had given everything of myself, I was totally used up, so I began 2019 limping. But God...
In January, I resigned from a ministry position and went on a three week road trip to visit my sister in Tennessee and then my parents in Michigan.

In February I began a new position with another ministry... but I was still limping, still bound by the lies, still carrying guilt, shame, and fear.... that last one has been pretty hard to shake. I was slowly coming out of a hopeless place, and God was re-teaching me who I was in Him.

March was a bit blur of getting set up in my new role, and in April I met two amazing people. April 16th turned out to be a pretty special day for me. I met the woman who would become my mentor and the man who would become my boyfriend.

These two relationships turned out to be life-giving and inspiring for me last year. They challenged me, prayed for me, and loved me when I felt unlovable. And the Lord used both of them to speak truth into my life at crucial moments. Times of prayer where freedom and victory were gained and guilt and shame defeated are milestones I look back on with joy!

But God...    Because of Him I have so much HOPE!

I'm enthusiastic about this year! I have some pretty big goals that I'm reaching towards because I know that I am capable of so much because of who I belong to! God has laid some exciting things on my heart, both in my ministry position and for me personally.

But all those accomplishment-oriented goals aside, my biggest desire is that this year would be marked by obedience.  I don't want to put any of my personal goals above a life of simple trusting obedience to my good good Father. He wants only what is best for His glory, and oddly enough He wants to use me to accomplish these things!

And I know that in the process, I will be blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I know that I will be filled with love,  joy, and peace! And who isn't searching for those things?? Ultimately, walking with God is the surest way to be happy... I believe it's simply a by-product of loving and obeying the Creator of all things.Love, joy, peace, contentment... all of these stem out of a heart of obedience. So that's what I want for this year.

For the past couple of years I've been choosing a word of for the year, and this year my word is Sow. It means, "to plant seed, especially by scattering, to set something in motion, to introduce into a selected environment."

There's many common phrases about sowing, but I think the one I hear most often is "you reap what you sow." Whatever I plant today is what will grow next week, next month, and next year. And I want good things to be growing in my life and relationships.

I don't want to have a tomorrow attitude...one that says I will begin tomorrow, change tomorrow, or put off until tomorrow what could do today. At times I can really fall into a tomorrow attitude.. a way of thinking where Tomorrowland is a magical place where I will be disciplined, and productive, and fit, and happy, and... well you fill in the blank with whatever you're dreaming of...

But I don't have tomorrow, I have today, I have right now. And right now, I have a choice to sow good things into my life and good things into every life I interact with.

What about you - do you have a word, phrase or Scripture verse that is your guiding light for the new year? I'd love to hear what it is and how I can be praying for you!

All for now,
Lou