Here we are almost a whole month into our new year, and I’m just now getting around to my end-of-the-year evaluation of my life. A little late perhaps…but I’ve been rather busy as of late and haven’t had the opportunity to reflect on the last year until this evening. (I guess this means that I missed out on my opportunity to make any New Year’s resolutions, but oh well…2017 is on its way! ;- )
After doing a quick mental overview of what 2015 held for me, personally, I confess I found myself feeling slightly overwhelmed.
January of last year found me nervously anticipating my upcoming three month trip to Idaho. I was having difficulty fathoming how I was going to feel being away from my family for such a long time; I was imagining the homesickness I would feel and trying to estimate the level of determination it would take to get me through my time away. (In case you can’t tell, I have a lively and active imagination and attempt, whenever possible, to be at least slightly prepared for any challenges an upcoming situation may present… ;- ) I was looking forward to my trip with a mixture of dread and excitement.
I never would have imagined that this January would find me living 700+ miles away from my family. And yet, here I am in Texas. And here I shall stay for at least the next ten months of my life.
Last January I was bracing myself for the step I felt the Lord calling me to take by going to Idaho for a short season, and I honestly thought that the decision to do so was the “stretching” experience God had in store for me that year. I don’t think I thought that I wouldn’t have to continue to rely on Him throughout the rest of the year, but in my mind I think I was anticipating that to be His “big” requirement of me for the year. As it turned out, it was only the preparation for the next step He had for me to take. Had I known that, I think I would have been more apprehensive about my time there and what would follow as a result, and would have perhaps missed out on the valuable lessons and molding of my character that He had in store for me during that time. And what a shame that would have been!
I’ve made the statement before that I wish that every year the Lord would drop a copy of my life’s syllabus on my doorstep. I didn’t wish for it to have an exact timeline of the year’s events, just a general overview so that I could trace my progress and know with confidence that I was indeed walking in His will for my life. (I know, I don’t ask for much, do I? ;- ) But after looking back over the past year, I can honestly say that I am grateful that He delivered no such document to my door last year. For indeed, “a man’s steps are of the Lord; how then can a man understand his own way?”
