To wrap up, I wanted to leave you with the quote below. The best way I know to somehow bring conclusion to a year full of laughter, incredible joys, new friends, amazing road trips, tears, heartache, and serious sin struggles is to be reminded (and to remind others) of this:
"One of the most poisonous of all Satan’s whispers is simply, 'Things will never change.' That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to 'make all things new.' Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for his lovers, which does not mean 'we have no clue so don’t even try to imagine,' but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope."
― John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
My dear friends- we will need hope. Hope that we will not always be this way, with a battle constantly raging in our souls- a battle that Jesus is already victorious over, and yet one that we are asked to continue to fight until He comes back. We were not made for this world and yet, we are asked to participate, to love well, to stay FAITHFUL, and to fight against the passions of the flesh with every fiber of our beings. I don't know about you, but it's a battle that I often grow weary of fighting. I lose focus and lose perspective and become so self-absorbed that my mind and heart grow numb to the insanely beautiful truths of the gospel- that I am ALREADY free, that I ALREADY share in Christ's victory and that I am to live in a manner that reflects that reality.
So. In case you missed it, THINGS WON'T ALWAYS BE THIS WAY. Things can change. Our hearts can change, our eyes can be opened (and re-opened and then opened again), sin struggles can be DEFEATED and although new ones will come, we can trust that the God of the universe living inside of us will give us the strength, wisdom, and discernment to defeat those too.
Even as I write this, I know that I will surely forget all of the aforementioned things... probably in the next few minutes. Which is why I will need to be reminded again and again.
As you look to 2013, and reflect on 2012, my prayer is that you would not define your year on the mistakes, sorrows, and difficulties, but on the joys, redemptive moments, and glimpses of hope.
2012 was great and really hard all at the same time. And as weird as it feels to admit- I'm grateful for every single moment- the horrific ones as well as the awesome ones. I trust that God knows what's up- that He's moving and working and is somehow using the crap in my life to bring glory to Himself.
Which is pretty cool.
So. In case you missed it, THINGS WON'T ALWAYS BE THIS WAY. Things can change. Our hearts can change, our eyes can be opened (and re-opened and then opened again), sin struggles can be DEFEATED and although new ones will come, we can trust that the God of the universe living inside of us will give us the strength, wisdom, and discernment to defeat those too.
Even as I write this, I know that I will surely forget all of the aforementioned things... probably in the next few minutes. Which is why I will need to be reminded again and again.
As you look to 2013, and reflect on 2012, my prayer is that you would not define your year on the mistakes, sorrows, and difficulties, but on the joys, redemptive moments, and glimpses of hope.
2012 was great and really hard all at the same time. And as weird as it feels to admit- I'm grateful for every single moment- the horrific ones as well as the awesome ones. I trust that God knows what's up- that He's moving and working and is somehow using the crap in my life to bring glory to Himself.
Which is pretty cool.
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| Ending the year the same way I started it :) |
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