12/30/13

It is the sunset of another year.

I look back on this year with fond memories.

Steve and I celebrated 20 years of marriage and took an international trip that neither one of us ever thought we would do.

I ziplined and LOVED it.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.

I continued to learn how to LIVE in this life and not just sit back and watch it go away without trying new things.

I learned to accept change even more.

I increased in my knowledge of the Lord.

So many things... I honestly cannot remember them all because they have now become a part of who I am.

In reflecting on this past year, though, I couldn't help but think of hard times.  I know of many people who have suffered much worse things than Steve and I this past year and I cannot begin to say I know what they have faced.   One thing I have been thinking on more and more recently is when we go through the storms of life in a year, are we thankful for them or are we just ready for the year to end?  I can remember saying in past years, "I will be glad when {insert year} is finished so that I can move on to another year.  It HAS to be better than this year was!"  

In reading my book on Job (Beginning at the End: Finding God When Your World Falls Apart by Cherie Hill) and studying about Job in Sunday School recently, it has caused me to reflect longer and harder on the trials, or storms, in my life.

Everyone hears that trials are what draw us closer to the Lord.  It is easy to SAY that statement, but harder to live it.  When you are going through a trial and you have no idea what is to come next, it is like walking alone in the dark and feeling that the next step will cause you to plummet to your "death."  I have been there.

Thankfully, God understands our weaknesses.  He knows that many of our reactions in those trials and storms of life cause us to become angry and bitter; we try to have self-sufficiency (control and manipulation); and they can also cause us to fear or worry.  That is why He tells us repeatedly in His Word to "Fear Not." 

So, truly, why DO we have to endure storms in this life?  What IS their purpose?  Recently, one of the pastors at church preached on this topic.  It was a wonderful reminder to me as to why the Lord sends those trials.  Here are a few snippets from what I learned:

Storms uncover areas in need of spiritual growth.

Storms calibrate or re-calibrate your view of God.  

(Renewed reverence for His Person and His Power.)

Storms prepare you for future ministry.

In short, storms in life force you to see you are only human and you NEED the Savior.  If everything went "just right" all of the time, we would forget our need for Him. 

We would forget Emmanuel - God With Us. 

We would forget what He did for us on the cross of Calvary. 

We would forget that He is alive today, having conquered sin, and is there for us every step of this life.

I can honestly say that, although my trials in this life have been hard, what I have learned from them have grown me more than any "good day."  They are some of my sweetest memories only because of how I clung to the Lord and He was always there, just as He is every day, but I chose to be still before Him instead of my do things my own way.

As I reflect on this year I keep coming back to what I read in my book on Job by Cherie Hill:  "[God's] bringing us to "The End," so that He can "Begin."

How do you view 2013? 

How do you plan on viewing 2014?

Forget resolutions... we hardly ever keep them anyway.

Take each second, minute, hour, day, week, month of this next year of 2014 and allow the Lord to guide you.  The way might be rough at times, but He will NEVER let you go and He always has a purpose.