Approaching a New Year

As 2013 is coming to a close, and 2014 is just around the corner, I take time once again to reflect on the past year, what God has done and brought me through, and look forward with anticipation in the coming year.  I do not make New Year's resolutions, because I believe we can have a fresh start at any time and resolve to change something at any time, not just as a new year approaches.  For the last few years, though, I have prayed and sought the word God has for myself and my family for the coming newly beginning year.

Last year, I think the word God had for us was healing.  This wasn't crystal clear to me at the time, I didn't ask God what His word for us was then, but that is the place we were in at the time (right smack in the middle, as a matter of fact!), and that is where we most definitely have gone.  This past year has brought about an intense new level of healing not only for myself, but for my family a well.  As I have finally faced, walked through, and healed from some ugliness in my own past, I have watched my marriage become stronger.  I have learned my husband will be there, will protect and defend me, and help me walk through the painful "stuff," even when he has to listen to me process it over and over again (i.e., talk about it repeatedly).  I have learned that, even while he doesn't always verbalize it and can often have strange ways of showing it, he's got my back.  Here's to our 14th new year together!

Even more amazing over this past year, I have seen how my own coming forth with my struggles and my weaknesses, how my talking about it and being open and real about it, has brought my children, especially my two daughters, into a new place of healing of their own.  Through seeing that Mama struggles not only with her past, but with broken relationships, insecurities, and fears as well, my daughters have come to a place where they, too, have been able to be more open in sharing, healing and growing.  I have seen amazing changes and amazing maturity in them just these past few months.  It has not been easy.  There have been struggles, anger, arguments, and poor choices leading to mistakes with big consequences, but through it, they have learned and changed.  Through it, we have learned how to communicate more effectively.  My daughters are two of my closest friends.  I love talking with them, spending time with them, just being silly with them.  And, I love being real with them.

This past year has also brought fresh starts to our family.  This has been so important to our continued healing and growth as a family.  A physical fresh start in a new home was God's very real and physical way of opening the doors for us to have this much-needed, real way to continue to experience that growth and healing.  We were able to leave behind much of what we needed to break free from on several levels, and have a new focus and a new outlook on our lives that has began to steer us in the right direction for our lives as a family once again.

As 2014 approaches (it really looks strange seeing that, knowing it is only days away!), I have once again prayed, asking God to show me His word for our family this year, the word that reflects the journey He will be taking us on.  This year, I get simply this:  BLESSING.  He is showing me areas I need to change in myself, and in my family, to live our lives to the fullest, and to experience His level of blessing in the ways He wants us to.  Many of these are areas I need to continue to heal, trust, and surrender.  Which really brings us full circle to the title of this blog:  Surrender and Blessings.  I am looking forward to seeing what He does in the coming year.  I have not blogged here much in several months, as I needed to break away from it for a time and focus on where He was leading us, but I hope to be able to do much more of that as this new year approaches.