The Year Coming To A Close

As I drove the hour to the Twin Cities to give a Christmas brunch message, my heart expanded in joy with love for God, thinking of His goodness and nearness in 2014. What a year!


How could God shower me with such lavish love and blessings that I’d spill my mascara on the way to a speaking engagement?


I was going on three hours of sleep because my houseguest, Debbie Griffith, who had encouraged ‘my people’ at our Christmas Cafe the night before to “Live Free” knowing that with God our performance doesn’t determine our value . . . she and I had stayed up until 2:00am talking. The hours passed so quickly and we wanted so many more. But I had to call ‘time-out’ for sleep or I’d have been no good for the next day.


But our instant kinship, our depth of love for the Lord inflamed our hearts as we shared stories of God’s work in our lives, our families and in our hearts.


“2014-It’s been a hard year.”  It echoes in my mind. I’ve heard it in multiple conversations. It’s been true in my life.

Hard. And good. I imagine you nodding, “yes . . . me too”.


Here, the year of extremes: Uprooted, transitionary-feeling like vagabonds (but better conditions than living in a tent). And then acquiring two somewhat desperate ‘fixer-upper’ homes and then fixing them up within six months. One to live in. One to sell.


And moving again. And closing my business. And holding two huge garage sales.


Then the sudden tragic loss of my dad. Poison ivy for half the summer.


Grueling long days of messy construction and painting to get the one house ready and on the market before winter. (I’m sorry I still owe you a post on that-having a hard time with my iPhoto uploads)


And the sweetest sweetness: Our new grandson. And news of another, now only a month away.


Family bonding in the death of my dad. (That was a huge answer to a prayer I’ve prayed for years because of watching things go the other way in other families).


A quick sale of the other house at the price we were asking. Debt paid off.


And now ~ settled in our home. With warm wood heat. And sunset views. And family close by.


My one word for 1014 was #delight. Or rather, de{Light}


As I do every year between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I review the happenings of the year ending.


This year, I caught my breath! In light of my one word, I see it!!! How it’s this prophetic word has proven true – yet again in 2014.

delight
noun
1. a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture: She takes great delight in her job.
2. something that gives great pleasure: The dance was a delight to see.

As I glance back, I see the prefix: ‘de’ (all the 2014 “subtractions”) have served to increase the ‘light’: the beauty and joy of the year.


I jump a little, clap my hands and raise them high! God has lavished His love on me; I feel it.


And I hear the song He sings. The one mentioned in Zephaniah 3:17.


I’ve come to the spacious place of 2 Samuel 22:20.


And I’m hearing the whisper of my new word for 2015 . . . I’ll be writing about it in the next couple of days.


I’ve heard that #TheLoft topic on January 5th is on our #OneWord2015

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Do you have yours?


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