This year was certainly one of the most challenging ones our family has had to face.
The sheer variety of tests and trials we endured were also significant.
We suffered through a miscarriage, loss of income, had shake-ups at church, went through a move and a house search, had to say goodbye to dear friends, and went through some times of poor health (without any health insurance).
Still, we've grown so much. We've learned more about what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
Most of us go out of our way to avoid situations where we don't have control and don't know the outcome for certain. This is why God forces us into these sorts of tests so that we can walk by faith and not by sight.
God loves it when we keep our eyes focused on Him. He loves it when we put all of our trust in His providence and when we have nothing else but Him to lean on, or depend on, or place our hope in.
He really does love it.
As we look forward to 2006, we still hope and pray that it will involve much less adventure. We do not want to move again anytime soon, or change jobs, or have to receive money from anonymous donors to pay our bills, or suffer through sickness or a miscarriage, or say goodbye to any more of our friends.
But, this is life. Life is unpredictable. Things change. People die and move on. All things are temporal We ourselves are mortal. Everything is in flux. Nothing is certain.
We lift our heads and place our hands into the hands of God, one more time.
2006, here we come!
Keith, I've been reading your blog for quite some time now. In fact, I can't even remember how I came upon it in the first place. Anyway, I am a faithful reader and am always blessed by your thoughts/questioning/encouragement. I just wanted you to know that. You just never know who is reading and being touched by what you're writing. Keep it up, my brother.
ReplyDelete- Emily in Nashville, TN