365 days have passed and now here I stand...here we all stand...on the edge of a brand new year, waving farewell to you, 2018. Many of the people I've talked to are happy to say goodbye to you. Many people are still broken from the ups and downs of a year that was just a little exhausting. I've certainly had my share of those ups and downs and felt a little bit broken throughout the last 365 days. I wouldn't deny that. But I'm not all that quick to brush you off and wave farewell and turn away. For before farewell I must first remember what your days have brought me. The lessons God taught me through your seasons, and the moments that brought me closer to Him. You see, welcoming you 365 days ago was hard. I was in such a season of uncertainty and I had no clue what your days might bring. I was scared and even lonely as I experienced your first few months. You were certainly everything but easy those first few months. You were painful and broken and all sorts of crazy. But God. Because you see, if there's one thing I've learned over the last 365 days with you, it's that God always enters our stories in a way that changes everything. But God entered all of that darkness and hurt and He reminded me that there is no darkness He can't use. And that sometimes... sometimes there are beautiful things from Him that He can only show you there in the dark. Maybe that's the most important thing He showed me over your days. There is no darkness too harsh that He can't enter it and light it up with His love. And there is no brokenness that He can't mend with His comforting hand. In all of the mountain highs and valley lows of your days, my God met me there. Because my God is faithful and strong and He provides all I need. He is my Shepherd...I lack nothing. During the last 365 days I learned that life doesn't always go how you think it will. But God? He's got a plan that is going to surprise you beyond your wildest imagination. And when we can't understand what He's doing, we can trust that He's not leaving and that He's always, always there working. What did I learn during your summer days when the sun shone bright and you could feel the heat like a blanket around you? I learned to take more time to slow down and soak my bare feet into the cool, freshly cut grass. I learned to breathe deep of the air and take the long way home from work so I could listen to more music with the windows down and my heart lifted to Him. What did I learn during your cold winter days when the snow fell and the winter winds blew harsh? I learned that there is beauty even here and each snowflake is designed differently and if He pays close enough attention to the unique design of each snowflake, I know for sure He pays attention to every detail of my life. Your days may have been harsh and they may have been hurtful many times, I'm sure there are so many who will agree. But God is still faithful. I believe it now as I did on January 1st, 2018. And I hope with all of my heart that the people reading this can believe it too. Because there is no year--no matter how hard and no matter how painful--that can stop the love of God and the faithfulness of God. There is nothing, nothing, nothing in this world that can separate us from His love. So as I look back on these lessons I've learned over your days, I raise my hand and I wave farewell. Not because I'm ready for you to be over and not because I want to forget your days. Because you certainly had some beautiful, beautiful moments that I wish I could relive over and over again. No, I wave farewell to you because I am ready for what God is willing to do next. I am ready for the new things He has coming and I am ready for what He wants to do. I will take the lessons He has taught me over your days and I pray I never forget them. Farwell, 2018. Thank you for the memories...even the hard ones. For they taught me that He is always good, even when nothing feels good around me. And with my farewell to 2018, I look ahead to 2019 with a heart that is ready for what God will do. I turn to you, my dear readers, and I hope you will do the same. Be ready to embrace every memory and lesson...but also wave farewell with an expectancy for what your God will do next. I promise you it will be amazing in His perfectly different...yet incredibly beautiful way. "Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:19
3 Comments
Hannah K.
1/6/2019 10:02:35 pm
Bella!!! Oh my goodness this was so good. I love this so much and can TOTALLY rate to what you wrote in this post. Thank you for sharing your heart, it really touched me and helped me to trust God even more.
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Jeanette
1/7/2019 12:04:36 am
Bella, this was so beautiful!! Thank you for sharing so honestly <3 I think a lot of it was just what I needed for 2019.
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1/13/2019 01:09:25 am
I too learned so much in 2018, thank you for sharing your heart, I love that about you, your words always encourage me❤️
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