2018 In Review!

This has been a good year, a challenging year; a year of discovery, disappointment and Joy. 

It is interesting to me how much can happen in a year.  We begin the year with new hopes, some times with new resolutions and plans that this year will be better than the one before.  Does that ever really happen?  I mean, there are some things that I wish were the same as last year, or things  that I wish I had a chance to do over, but that is not life, that is not real.   Here is my take on 2018.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I accomplished some things that I said I wanted to do this year. I planned, spent, thought, prayed and it happened!  It was exciting... at first, then reality stepped in.  Now I'm  having to work it!  The dream was good, but the work is... well it is work. Some things we desire require more than we imagine.  Whether it is a business, a relationship or an improvement in our living, they all require more than we may have added in our 'cost counting'.  When new 'bills' show up, that is when we have to make the payment, or throw in the towel.  I am still making my payments on some things I dreamed about and told God I wanted to accomplish in 2018, and  I am still committed to finishing it.  What about you?  Along with any unexpected challenges, are you still sure enough, committed enough to stay in there?  Then the next question is- should you?

KNOW WHEN TO FOLD!

One thing I have learned during this time is that just because we follow a desire to do something does not mean we have to keep doing it!  I believe there is a lesson in every desire we have, everything we do.  Sometimes we just have to pull the lesson out of it, cut the strings and go on.  It reminds me of my Cadillac.  I have always wanted a Cadillac.  That is the only car that I recognized on the road and I just wanted one.  Then I got one!  It was everything I thought and also much more than I could thought.  I knew I was a down home kinda girl, so whenever I wanted to put bricks in my car, it felt wrong...  Who puts bricks in a Cadillac!?  When spring came and I bought plants and mulch, it felt wrong again putting that  dirt in my Cadillac.  After awhile, I got the Cadillac out of my system and got me a SUV.  Just because I had a desire for it, does not mean that I have to commit to a Cadillac future.  It is okay to move on! 
Lesson:  if you started something in 2018 because of a dream to do it, and you find that it was really just something you wanted, not your purpose, not your gifting, or it does not fit with who you genuinely are... you can still change.   I found the cost of my dream car was more than I wanted and I prefer spending extra money in more purposeful places, not my gas tank or repairs.  Don't get so locked in you don't examine your life and make the change.

DIAGNOSIS

I have always been pretty healthy, but this year had me getting a biopsy and having a procedure based on the results.  That was not in my 2018 plans. When we are faced with talking to doctors and them calling you in to talk about test results, we can forget things we have been saying for years and focus on the uncertainty.  All of a sudden you feel the fear that others can, or you pull on faith that others have.   When the diagnosis ended up not being as bad as it could have been, it had me examining myself to see if I would have given Him glory, or thought "Whew, dodged that bullet!"   (You know we do that sometimes.)  We sometime forget that bad things happen to good people, and serving God does not guarantee that we will not have challenges in life.  I realized  that I either trust Him or I don't.  Trust is not just in good times, in fact, it is often seen in the bad.   So, I thanked God for His grace and mercy towards me, and I know that whichever way it could have gone... He is God and not only do I love Him, I trust Him.   

READY FOR NEW?

Like I said, this year has had ups and downs, but I STILL love each New Year! Not because I get to start over, I am already on this road in life, I can only go forward from here. It is not because I get a do-over, I don't;  I have to deal with what I have already done, or where I currently am. But I  do get to start a new year with hopes and  dreams, with plans and purpose.  I get to watch God move in every challenge, every disappointment, every discovery and every joy. AGAIN!!  It is a fantastic journey and I never know what the next day holds.

To me what makes every New Year great, is that I am still holding onto God's hand, and trusting Him. Yes, I am ready for 2019 and all it may hold, simply because I know Who holds me!

2019... we are ready!  Booyah!