Some New Year thoughts...

Wow, 2009 is here! No pictures this time, but just a few thoughts. There's an interesting trend in my life during the holiday season. Work slows way down and my social life speeds way up! It sounds like the best of both worlds I guess! In some ways it is, but it has its challenges too. However, the nicest thing is having a little down time to actually think. I've realized over the years that sometimes I need to just think. I think about the past, the future, I think about missed opportunities and new opportunities, I think about "What if...?" and I think about "I hope..." I just think. So, here are a few thoughts and questions I have for myself.

• What will be different about 2009 than the last 10 years of my life?



• Am I expecting to see God work in my life or in others lives or is that just the stuff I'll hear about in sermons or read about in Christian articles?



• Will it be obvious to everyone that I love and trust Christ or will I just be a nice person who's fun to be around?



• Will my "priorities" really be the priority of every day?



• Will my words and actions build trust or build fear in those around me?



• Who am I trying to impress?

This year begins with a lot of excitement about what is to come. I've never been married before so it's a whole new concept to start a New Year with another person. Our goals and hopes become intertwined. It's easy to look around us and assume our lives will take the same general trend of so many. But lately I've been thinking. There's really no such thing as a "general trend" when you're a follower of Christ. We are not our own, so it's dangerous to assume anything. How quickly I find myself wondering when the Lord will fit in this or that piece of the puzzle that will make up my life. But only He knows what the final result will look like and what if those pieces I'm expecting don't fit my puzzle? We can be confident that wherever we are and whatever we do, we are in the Lord's hands and He's putting together His puzzle of our lives, but Lord, help us never assume you will follow our plan or follow the general trend around us.

I was thinking in bible study last night how incredible it must have been to be a Jew who had grown up learning the Old Testament and then to hear about this Jesus and read the writings of the guys who had lived with him and have your eyes opened to see that He is the One you've been waiting for! To have each little detail fall into place. Sometimes I feel like I've come into the story halfway through and I miss the significance that so many little things really have, like people, places, timing, specific quotations, etc. If I start my knowledge of Christ with simply learning about his earthly life, I've missed the majority of the story! Will I be committed to learning and appreciating the whole story this year? Will my life trumpet Christ and what He is and has always been all about or will I just be an average example of Christian living?

Hmmm...too much thinking! I need a snack! But it feels good to think! Happy 2009 everyone! May we all approach it "thoughtfully"! - Becca