And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time. (Habakkuk 2:2-3 Message)
My favorite Christmas gift this year, like it is every year, was my journal. I love to journal. I write the verses that I read that day that really bring me hope and peace and life. I journal what He speaks to my heart. I journal my struggles as well as my triumphs. I journal my goals and hopes and dreams.
At the end of the year I like to read over my journal and see what the main theme was of the year. The first page is usually a word for the year…what I think God is going to do in the coming year. Then the last page is usually my word for the year of what He had done. I like to be able to see in black and white how close they come to lining up.
For me, 2013 started and ended with the word trust. I think trust is an exciting Word. It’s an anticipation that He will do what He said He will do, and I get to watch Him do it!
I started the year teaching a 4 week series on prayer, and the main theme of that series was on trust. Prayer is a conversation rooted in fellowship and based on trust. It was a great way to start the year…studying on trust and His faithfulness.
I put a couple “things”on my wishlist with God and wrote it down in my journal, like an iPad and a family vacation. They were things that I would have liked to have, but they were just things. Take ’em or leave ’em things…but He blessed me with them. (God’s not against us having things as long as those things don’t have our hearts.) He is such an extravagant God, and I am so amazed by Him. What’s on your wishlist with God?
I have a couple of dreams that I put on my wishlist with God in 2013…BIG dreams…things I felt He led me to dream. They are still there…still on the wishlist. Trust is ongoing, but I can’t wait to see what He does to work those dreams into this adventure called my life. It takes trust to dream big. What are you dreaming?
Part of my journey in trust this year was losing my job in October. That was a biggie. I loved my job. It was a good job. And I went over 2 months without really working. But God!!! He proved Himself so faithful to provide.
And it was in that time of not working that He led me to start my blog. It took a lot of trust for me to start it. It was not even really on my radar at all. It takes a lot of trust for me to just put myself out there…to just be vulnerable. But I’m so glad I took that step of faith…I really love it. It is probably one of my favorite things that came out of 2013.
There is no way I could write in one blog post about all that God did in this last year to show His faithfulness to me. A quote of Hudson Taylor’s rang in my heart over and over all year long – “Oh for greater faith to trust His faithfulness.” It was a continuous prayer of mine throughout the year, and boy did He answer it.
I started my journal for 2014 this morning, and the word I keep getting is contend. That word to me is not as exciting as trust. Contend means work…it means standing against something. It means using muscle and sweat and effort. Good times, right? But I wrote it down, and I can’t wait to study it out, to live it out, and to see what God is going to do this year! He has never let me down!
So…what was your word for 2013? What amazing things did God bring you through last year? What is your word for 2014? Let me encourage you to write it down. Dream Big! Trust! It’s better to dream big and only achieve part of it than not dream at all and achieve all of it. Life in Him is such an adventure! Let’s live it BIG!
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know thus saith the Lord.
Jesus, Jesus how I trust You,
How I’ve proved you o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus,
O for strength to trust You more.
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.