I'm not usually one to make resolutions. At least not serious ones. I tend to get caught up in the excitement of the New Year and spout off a few resolutions here and there and then never think about them again. Or at the very least, laugh when I think of them again. :)
But this year, I've really been mindful of the fresh start that a New Year can bring. There's just something so symbolic and refreshing about wiping the slate clean and starting anew on the first day of a brand new year. While 2011 was a wonderful year (including the birth of Laney!) it was also a very challenging year for me personally. I've been praying a lot over the direction of 2012 and how God can use me this year and how I can be open to what He is going to teach me.
I've been re-reading some old studies that I've done (and loved!!) like Annointed, Transformed, Redeemed and have been reminded of some great truths. Through these studies and lots of prayer, The Lord has given me a verse to cling to this year as well as a word to define my 2012.
My word for 2012: establish
We have this plaque hanging in our living room. In the foreground it has our family name and the verses Proverbs 24:3-4. In the background are the words "established 2007" (which is the year we were married). Honestly, I bought the plaque (or rather, picked it out and my mom bought it - thanks, mom!) just because I liked it and I liked that verse. I never really thought about "established 2007" meaning anything other than marking the year we were married and officially started our lives together. Until I started re-reading Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed and I found this definition of establish:
"When God is the subject of the verb establish, it means that He sets things securely in order and prepares them for the specified purpose."
Wow.
I don't know about you, but to me, that says a whole lot more than we were just "made official" in 2007. It reminds me that long before I ever knew Jeffrey, God had established me as his wife and him as my husband. He set things securely in order to prepare me for the specific purpose of being Jeffrey's wife and Libbi and Laney's mom. On the days when I feel like a less than stellar wife or a sub-par mom, I can find comfort in knowing that HE has established me to fulfill these roles and that he will fully equip, secure, and prepare me for them far beyond my own capabilities!
When I chose the verse to go on our family plaque, Jeffrey and I were just a family of two. Did I know that our home would one day be filled with two "beautiful treasures?"...nope. But God did. Deuteronomy 32:6 says, "...He has made you and established you." So, if I believe that God made me, and God established my roles in life, how can I not believe that He will fully prepare me with all I need?
Whew! That's big stuff, y'all!! :)
Finally...
My verse for 2012:
"Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" (2 Samuel 7:18, NIV)
While 2011 had it's challenges and even some trials and tribulations that I'd definitely not like to re-live, I am confident that 2012 will be the year that I can look back on and say with conviction that God has brought me "so far." I am praying for big things in 2012, so big that God can be the only explanation for them. I am praying that God would accomplish a "so far" kind of work in my family and in my life. On December 31, 2012 I am going to be saying, "wow....who am I Lord? and what is my family that you would bring us so far?!" While completely undeserving of the Lord's favor, I am eternally grateful that He isn't finished with me yet. And even more so that He promises to see me through the good work He has started within me.
I pray that your 2012 will be full of realizing all that He has established for you and that God would also accomplish a "so far" work in the your life and in the lives of your families! Happy New Year, Friends!! :)
