As I sit down this morning with a cup of Joe, I ponder on this past year and the year coming. Each year has its ups and downs. Overall it was a very blessed year. I felt like each thing I have endured whether it was a challenge or something great. I learned something from it!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1. For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
2. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and time to harvest.
3. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5. A time to scatter stone and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
Looking back on 2013 and I've been in all seasons of this. The year started off great. I was excited to get the year going. It had now been 2 years since I graduated from Mercy in April. That was a huge victory for me to look back on two years of freedom. Yes had days of struggling but mostly going super strong. As each year passes I am more thankful for www.mercyministries.org (mercy) and what I took from my time there. God truly set me up to have a life of freedom and actually living. The relationships I continue to grow in that I met during my time at Mercy has been a blessing. These women get my struggles and share in my small victories and large victories. We walk through life together even being thousands of miles a part from each other. I am blessed to walk life with each of these women. forever sisters!
I began to date a guy and was soon to be engaged too. Thought I was in love. But that was shattered quickly after being engaged. This was very hard but the best decision I could made. God truly protected me from more hurt. What it boiled down too, I wanted to settle down get married and have children. Wrong motives. So I didn't look at the whole person, I just jumped into something. He is not a horrible person at all. We just are not meant to be together. I grew to totally depend on Christ during this season after the break up. I had a new sense of trusting God and leaning on him. I only need Him to be satisfied in life.
Going through the break up I found who my friends truly were. Being in this specific relationship I isolated from my friends. This is something that I do not recommend to anyone. Stay friends with the people who care and love you the most. The few who stood by my side have been the biggest blessings and the best of friends. I would not change this for anything. I feel as if these relationships have just grown so much closer in the months after. Find those couple of friends who will stand with you through ALL things. They are godly friendships who encourage you in your darkest times.
I FINALLY quit my job of 2.5 years at Arkansas Counseling. This was the best decision I made. God allowed me to make lasting friendships in the years and we still continue to meet up. But moving on from a comfortable job was a great decision. I do miss some of my clients there but I have been blessed to keep in touch with a few of these families! God grew me in this position to only prepare me for my future and the call he has on my life. If you're not happy in the season your in at your job know it is God preparing you for your next step in life! Don't grow weary. He has a plan for you.
The hardest things is DEATH. You hear of people passing all the time. You may hurt for the family but until you experience it so close to home you don't understand. I lost my grandma May 25, 2013. I was there for some of her last hours. It was hard to watch her struggle to breath but holding her hand telling her its okay to go see Jesus was such a precious time for me. I am forever grateful my cousin called me to go see her that evening. I talked that evening about all the memories we had. She taught me to read and succeed in school. She was always proud of her grandchildren. What a beautiful woman she was.
After my grandma left us a few short months later I lost a dear friend from Mercy. We spent 6 months living together and struggling together. We both had struggles with an eating disorder. Christen passed in October this year. My heart was so broken to hear of her death. The enemy came in and she was taken in bondage from her eating disorder. She was a beautiful woman who would do anything for others. She encouraged me on her hardest days. She may have been taken by an eating disorder but she leaves a legacy to us who loved her to stay strong and free from our eating disorders. I love her dearly and has brought me to a new place to encourage others who struggle with the same struggles. Such a beautiful woman who was so radiant!!! God has her in his arms and shes no longer in pain!!!!
I share all my downs here but they are full of life lessons. I learned a lot this year! I am blessed from going through some dark times this year. I saw God was there and my only source of strength. As you and I start this year of 2014 let go into as there is a season of everything. We will have our ups and downs but lets cling to Jesus and EMBRACE this year!!!!!
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