Come and See, 2016
So we’re pretty well into January and there’s probably a good chunk of us going at those resolutions we just made almost 2 weeks ago.
Now, I’m all for making goals and doing my best to achieve them but I’ve never been much into the New Years resolutions.
So about two years ago I came across this really neat idea as an alternative and I want to tell you about how God has shown me Himself through it in the most intricate ways.
All you need is paper, pen, and a jar. All throughout the year I write neat things down that have happened. Whether it’s something exciting that I’m experiencing for the first time, something someone has said that’s encouraged me, or something cool/significant that God has done in my life. Once I’ve written it down and put it in the jar, I leave it in there until December 31.
It is seriously soooooo cool to then open the jar up, read the little notes, and see how God has woven my life together along the year. Those things that seem so disconnected while you’re in them and then to look back and see that there was actually a greater purpose behind it all.
My favorite to look back on this last year was when I had declined an opportunity to be an outdoor instructor at a bible school very dear it me in the Austrian Alps where I had volunteered before.
Ya, I know. How ridiculous was I to give that up? I LOVE that place and had been dreaming about the potential opportunity for a few months already. All of the instructor positions were filled until one day, somebody’s plans had changed and they had contacted me to see if I was still interested.
I thought about it over the Christmas break and then on January 14, 2016, I replied with a no.
I wrote this in my jar…
“I responded to the outdoor instructor position and said I would not be returning to fill that role. I am sad but expectant for what God has here. I feel like it’s important for me to be fully present.”
What was even more significant about this all was that 2015 was all about God stripping me of my pride and security and teaching me to trust Him again. You may recall one of my previous blog posts about me quitting my job. It was just shortly after that that I was contacted about this opportunity in Austria. God was throwing opportunities at me like wildfire! Once I gave up trying to make things happen in my own strength; I was learning to allow Him to be Lord of my life again.
But not everything that comes our way means that we should jump right on it. As much as I really wanted to, I felt like again, God was telling me to be present where I am, keep embracing community here, and see what He has in store for me at home.
On January 15 (the next day), I met a guy named Eric who proposed to me the week I would’ve been hopping on a plane to Austria for the summer.
.
Instead of hiking through the Alps, I spent my summer working at a winery, living in a camper, and planning a wedding. It was a crazy but amazing summer!
I LOVE the adventures of being outdoors, traveling, etc. God has done magnificent work in me in those times. No doubt. But this time he was taking me on a new kind of adventure. A new chapter. A chapter I’d never been before and where I needed to learn to rely on Him in a new way.
This is only one example of what God did last year. I could tell you so much more. If you’re looking for some New Year encouragement in the future, get started now! It’s not too late! Grab a jar and go! You will be refreshed, encouraged, and in awe of who our God is!
“Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.” – Psalm 111:2