You are given a pencil with no eraser.
Write wisely.
This is one of my favorite quotes going around this year. No one ever says "wow, this year. it's gunna be a bad one, I think I'm going to have some tough times, I think I'm gunna go through some trials, some heartache." No. That would be crazy! Everyone ends December 31 by closing a door and begins January 1st with a brand new outlook and hope for the best year ever. But about the other 364 days? Resolutions only last so long. Eventually you stop going to gym, you eat that pizza, you forget to do your devotions, or work on that book you promised you'd finish this year. And suddenly you've blinked and another year has gone by. What have you accomplished? What goals have you met? Who feels more loved or wanted, because of the impact you made on their life this past year? What have you done for God, because He has done so much for you. What did your year consist of--complaints? Simply surviving day to day? And what do you have to show for it? I don't ever want to live a life that is simply surviving when I was created to thrive.
2015 was probably the hardest year of my life. At times in the past month, to be completely honest, I've said it was the worst. I wasn't able to use the excuse "I'm just a kid!" Because I'm not anymore. I have a full time job, and bills, and real life grown up issues to deal with. And my oh my was that quite the transition and wake up call from my comfort zone. So, I've said-"2016 is going to be my year! I can feel it." But yesterday, God tugged on my heart and said "2015 was your year too, yes it was hard, it wasn't very fun, but I taught you a lot of things, you learned a lot of hard lessons. Yes, you failed some tests, but you passed some pretty important ones, ones that would have been much harder had I had to teach you them again. Daughter, you are loved. 2016 will be your year, if you take everything you've learned from 2015 and put it to action."
So friends, let me share with you some of the highlights:
- Choose Joy.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, therefore nothing you can do can constitute joy. So you must choose it. You must cultivate that fruit daily. Walk in the Spirit - determining every day that you will choose joy and adjusting your attitude accordingly.
- God will place people in your life over and over again until you learn how to love them with the genuine love of Christ.
This is something I'm still learning. You'd think that after a specific personality type has been in your life about four or five times, I would learn my lesson, but I didn't. And this year, being in a brand new place with people I had never met before. God put some people in my life who's personalities and pasts were completely different than mine. And I had to see them every day! So what choice did I have but to learn my lesson! (Don't tell me God doesn't know juuuust how to put us in our place.)
But learning to love people where they are and in spite of themselves is so important, not just in ministry but in life.
- You can't ask God to bless your finances and still buy 3 mugs a month from Target
This is self-explanatory. Live within your means and sometimes learn to say no. But don't forget to treat yo'self every once in a while. ;)
- Make friends with people who are more spiritually mature than you, so when you are going through a hard time, they will encourage and counsel you--but not sugar coat things.
Two of my closest friends that I met this year are easily among the wisest people I know. I know that anything I'm struggling with or I need prayer for, I can ask these two and without a doubt, they will have an answer or a verse, or a prayer ready to give me. Good friends are so important, the Bible talks a lot about friendships. So choose wisely.
- There will be times where you will be very lonely. Be careful.
Loneliness is God's way of getting our attention back on Him, but all too often, in our flesh we turn to our idols in times of loneliness. Check your heart. Late at night when you feel like no one understands. Open your bible. Pray. Talk to the One who created your feelings, the One who does understand. Do not text that boy(or girl, if you're a guy), or cry and feel sorry for yourself. Don't make emotional decisions based on a empty feeling. You will regret it and eventually have to be honest with yourself and figure out why you are feeling what you are feeling. Surround yourself with good friends, spend time with God, and sometimes-embrace being alone and being still.
- Remember who you are. Just because someone can't see your value or worth doesn't mean your worthless. You are bought with a price.
You know that part in Lion King where Rafiki says to Simba "Remember who you are!" If you don't remember, because you haven't seen that movie, stop reading...and go watch it. Then come back. Don't let others determine your worth when Christ already has! Straighten that crown, your Father is a King. And you deserve to be treated as valuable. Waiting can be hard. But settling and complacency is cheating yourself out of the beautiful thing God has for you.
- Ministry is about loving people and being the face of Christ for others. You can't do that if you're spiritually empty
Replenish yourself constantly. Don't get stagnant in your walk with God. If you miss a day of your reading, get back up. Don't use your devotions as a good luck charm to have a good day, because you won't always have good days. But you will always have that sweet communion with God every time you open His love letter to you.
- Stop opening doors God has closed.
Stop it. Stop kicking and screaming in the hallway. Accept that greater is coming. That His ways are higher than yours and He sees what you cannot. God never wants to hurts us, but you will be hurt when God has to tell you about yourself because you refuse to listen to His prodding "Get up. Stop fighting. I have something better for you."
- And finally-Choose your friends wisely. Not everyone is looking out for your best interests.
Coming into a new environment, you want to be everyone's friend. You want everyone to love you. But two things I've learned are true. (1)No matter what you do, some people are just not going to like you. And (2) some people will say that they are your friend, but their actions say the opposite. Keep your circles small. Love everyone and be kind always. But not everyone has to your be your bestie. Some people are being used by the Devil, to be part of your downfall. Rise above it. Live your life in such a way that when men speak evil of you, no one believes it.
2015 was not easy. But I am not the same person I was on January 16, 2015 when I moved to Falls Church Virginia. And I am so thankful. God is so good. 2016 is my year, I do feel it. Some exciting things are going to happen. But it's also going to be a year full of lessons and blank pages so here's to handing God my pencil-and letting Him write a beautiful story.
