Thorns and Sunshine

Two Sundays ago during church service we sang a song the song Our God is Able by Hillsong. It brought me to tears for many reasons....First, our new church (Bara) was actually meeting in the space that our old church (Redeemer) used to meet in. We were there because we were hosting a Christmas Eve service in Westlake and it was easiest for us to meet there on Sunday so we could already be set up for Christmas Eve. It was a bit surreal to be back with a different congregation. Second, it made me miss the parts of our church family that we no longer see. When I was worshiping it just seemed like I should have been able to turn around and see some old familiar faces. And lastly, this song, which I absolutely LOVE reminds me not only of God's abounding, forever faithfulness, but also of very distinct times in my life over the past year when I've sung this song while waiting in the valley for God's provision and direction for our lives. The lyrics of this song remind us that He will NEVER fail us...that He is GREATER than all we seek...He is WITH US and on our side...and that far above all we HOPE He has done GREAT things!!! So true when I look back at 2012.

If I had known some of the things that my family and I would face in 2012, I would have run away from it. My grandfather passed, our beloved dog Cosby died, Eva had some not so fun illnesses, we had to move from the apartment we loved, there was a long period where we didn't know what Ryan's job would be or where we would live, I had to pack us up while Ryan was gone away for a week, and the transition from churches has left us missing people we care about. None of those things would have been of my choosing. I would have been fearful if I had known ahead of time that we would face those challenges.  Thankfully our God who is not only able, but WISE and GRACIOUS, didn't let me know what was in store. And instead of spending the year being afraid of what might hit next I was able to enjoy each of the amazing BLESSINGS He had planned for me.

Blessings like...seeing my baby learn to sit, crawl, walk, eat, and talk!!!....moving to our new home that has so much more space and is in the perfect location and I honestly love way more than our old apartment......going on our first vacation as a family of 3...being a stay at home mama...celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary at the spot where Ryan proposed....SEEING how trustworthy and praise worthy God really is!!!!...seeing my cousin baptized....celebrating a friend's wedding...spending lots of time with our families....enjoying lots and lots of good meals around our dining room table...being surrounded by extremely generous friends and family....making new friends at our new church....getting to know and love more Middle School and High School students....finishing reading through the entire Bible!!!!....enjoying a beautiful white Christmas with my family....going on sweet dates with my husband....having a warm home to sleep in on cold nights....my list could go on and on! I am thankful for where our lives were led in 2012 and looking forward to 2013!

Happy New Year!