Month: December 2018

Happy New Year! It does not seem possible that another calendar year has come and gone. The last 365 days have been so eventful for me and for my family: a cancer diagnosis, a college graduation, a wedding, 2 new jobs, and 2 moves between us all.

Looking ahead to 2019 is even more “iffy” and “foggy” for me. Will we sell our house? Will I lose the weight I need to? Will my husband’s health get back on the right track? What do the next 365 days hold for my parents? My children?

Though I cannot see the future, there is one who knows it all.

The Lord knows exactly what his plans are for us all in the coming year. He plans my future and wants me to keep pressing on, trusting in him to be my guide and my support.

When I picked my word for the year, “THRIVE”, this is one of the verses that kept coming to mind. God doesn’t want me to just sit here, waiting for his plans to come to fruition. He wants me to get out there and LIVE- Live a life of hope, a life of joy, and a life that is abundant!

It may sound easy, but for me, I am sure it will not be. I have always been an emotional being- I sense sorrow more deeply; I overthink choices; I always see both the positive AND the negative (sometimes focusing more on that negative side, unfortunately).

I have already taken certain steps to try to get on the right path: I am doing daily Bible readings and Bible journaling, I have ordered my first inspirational book, I have placed an order for some health products that should help me maintain a better lifestyle, and I have signed up for a Step challenge- 2019 Miles in 2019. (Sidenote here: I also purchased my daughter a membership so she could team up with me. I do not think I could ever do all 2019 miles on my own, but I will sure give it a try!) I also plan to post updates here regularly.

I would LOVE to get some supportive comments back from anyone who cares to leave them. What are your goals for the new year? What do you hope to achieve? Do you have any advice to help me THRIVE? Help me be accountable- keep me in line- I can use all of the help I can get!

A while back I thought I had selected my word for the year. I posted about the word STRIVE and why I had selected it. THEN…… God intervened.

I got up that morning….. as usual.

I showered and dressed…. as usual.

I went upstairs to do my morning devotions…. as usual….

AND GOD spoke!

There written on the page in my devotional book before me was the following verse, “He says, stop your striving and recognize that I am God!” Psalm 46:10

That made me stop and think. Was God trying to tell me that I had strived enough? Did I just need to trust him to follow through?

This year has been a tough one. My mother’s dementia worsened, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and I was responsible for doing much of the help with them. My husband started the year recovering from a broken foot, moved to another county over an hour away to accept a new job, my son moved away to take a new job, and my daughter got married and moved away to start her new life. Through all of that I had worked to try to sell our house and to maintain a new “Perspective”- to lean on God more for guidance, and to try to rebuild my Bible study and devotional life.

It has all taken a toll on me. I have had some bouts of depression, I have begun taking medication, I have felt lonely at times, and I have gained weight. It has been a lot of work, and I have often felt like I was merely waiting for the next shoe to fall and the next battle to begin.

After encountering this Bible verse, I felt that I needed to pray, to really think about things, and to seek advice from others. In doing so, I found a wonderful devotional called You Were Meant to Thrive. As I read through the words, it was as though they had been written just for me, though it had actually been written back in 2014. I kept thinking about one of my favorites songs, “Thrive” by Casting Crowns. Maybe I have been trying so hard to push myself to maintain a smile, to make it through one day at a time, to literally just survive until our house finally sells and I can be reunited with my husband. Maybe God wants more of me; maybe he wants me to stop my striving and allow myself to rest in his grace and allow myself to Thrive!

I want to thrive as a witness for Christ.
I want to thrive as a loving, supportive wife.
I want to thrive as a mother who is learning to mother adult children.
I want to thrive as a creative person who shares her talents with others.
I want to thrive as a human being to get in better health.
Deep down I know that God can help me do ALL of those things. I just need to allow him to. I truly think that if I pray about it and do my best to listen, God will show me the way!