Thursday, January 01, 2009

It was a very good year . . .


I love January.

I love it because it means Christmas is over. I can pack up the ornaments and put away the decorations for another year. My season of melancholy passes, presumably hunkered down in the attic somewhere, waiting sulkily for next December.

But the new year is here!

January 1 is a blank slate, a clean start. Even if I managed to stay up until midnight on the 31st, I wake up clear-headed, energized and ready to roll with God. As I sip my coffee, I dig into His Word to see if there are any hints or clues regarding the adventures that await me in the coming months. The Lord will usually give me a verse or a concept to focus on for the year, something to contemplate and walk out as I follow after Him.

Last year, for instance, He taught me a lot about faith. From Scout's near-fatal illness, to my struggle with insomnia, to Candyce's wild trip to India, to flying through thunderstorms over the Yukon, Jesus was constantly calling me to places I didn't have the strength to go on my own. He never promised an easy passage or a happy ending--He just promised to be with me, letting His strength and grace carry me in my weakness. And He did, so faithfully.

It was a wild ride, but what a good year. I feel that I know Him a little better and trust Him a lot more. I know that whatever this year holds, it's all in His Hands. As Larry Norman succinctly put it not so many years ago, "Jesus is the Rock that doesn't roll!"

As I stand upon the brink of a new year, seeking His direction, I sense the Lord's invitation to watch and pray.

Anybody want to join me?

1 comments:

Tammyz said...

What a terrific post! Thank you for sharing it! I join you!! Happy New Year filled with moments of getting to know and trust Him more.

Who links to my website?