2008…Lessons & Trusting

During the last couple of days, I’ve taken some time to reflect on 2008, and have tried to wrap up the year into two words…Lessons & Trusting.

God really did a work on my heart last year…and He continues to do so. There are so many things He taught me, and so many times I had to wait on Him and trust Him.

Last year’s January through March was very trying on my patience with our winter weather. We had so much snow, ice and cold weather, and had six snow days of school to make up at the end of the school year. There would be days that I needed to get out of my garage for appointments for my business and etc., but couldn’t because of the drifting snow. God taught me patience! I remember one day in particular, the drift in front of our garage was as tall as my car! NO ONE was more excited than me to see the snow FINALLY melt in the spring!

God taught me a big lesson in trusting Him all throughout the year. I followed His lead into a new career in the spring…one that I was so excited about, and knew with the proper training, I could serve Him well in. In May, I see now how God pulled me from that career…having my new-found hopes and dreams to excel in this new arena be wiped away. I felt rejected, unappreciated and treated unfairly at the time. Little did I know, that God had different plans for me, and it was brought to my attention from a friend that she felt that God removed me from that career to protect me and to grow me. It was a tough summer for me emotionally, as I felt alone, abandoned and without answers as I was seeking God and His will for my life.

The flood hit in June and affected area towns and cities, and our dear friends, the Herrings. The day before the flood hit is a day that I will never forget. I was at their home helping empty it completely into livestock trailers, trucks and cars. I vividly remember the panicked feeling we all had as we were working quickly, the look on Tina’s and Mike’s faces, the unsettling thoughts of what was going to happen to their home…yet I’ve never seen Tina so in control. God was leading them to trust Him. The flood was devastating to so many. Their home had 1-1/2 feet of water on their main level, so needless-to-say, they gutted their home completely. They are still trusting God as they work to get back into their home today.

Because of the flood, I increased my volunteer time with Mission of Hope. That lead me to help out there in ways that I hadn’t helped before, and now I’m heading up planning our first annual Mission of Hope Banquet in the spring! I’m so excited about this, and will share more in a later post sometime!

We had a wonderful vacation to Nashville and the Smoky Mountains with my brother and his family in July. It was a breath of fresh air to “get out of Dodge!” I enjoyed each morning on our trip, as I would get up early to walk by myself, and to soak in the peacefulness. We all had such a great time together and wonderful memories were made!

Our fall was busy. Ali started high school and Zach started Middle School. My life was consumed with volleyball and soccer…and still is for those two. Bill’s hours began to get longer at work, and that wasn’t the easiest for me. Still I trusted…

Then in October my world was rocked. On October 6th I was hit with a sharp pain in my abdomen on the left side which wouldn’t go away. All month long I was in pain. If you’ve ever experienced labor pains, then you can understand how painful this was for me! Doctor visit after doctor visit, medical test after medical test, x-rays and scans…I have to be honest in saying I was scared. I was prepared for the worst, as I have had relatives pass away from ovarian cancer…but prayed for God’s healing and will. It was finally determined I had an ovarian cyst. God blessed me with an amazing appointment with my gynecologist who laid everything out for me, and who helped me with my questions. We decided to try the non-surgical route with a medication to see if that would help…I’m so thankful it’s working and I’m feeling back to myself again. I have never been faced with such a serious health issue before, and trusting God was the hardest thing, yet it was the only thing I could do. I knew, no matter what the outcome, He would be with me and help me through it.

The holidays came and went, and here we are. I’m still trusting God…the best that this 40 year old can…and seeking His direction for my life. Some days He seems very silent, and other days I get pieces of the puzzle. I’m so thankful for my family, the amazing people God has put into my life, my church, my pastor and for God’s Word which has strengthened me more than anything this year.

I wonder what two words I’ll summarize 2009 with at the end of this year? I hope you’ll join me for the journey through this new year! May God bless you abundantly!

Love,
Julie