New Year
2018 was the year my grandson learned to walk. He didn’t trust his legs at first. He would stand up and not realize that they could carry him a few steps away to his parent’s arms. He spent lots of days returning to the safety of crawling before he trusted his own legs. One curious step at a time gave him the courage to keep going.
Today is the day for new beginnings. For new steps. New Youversion reading plans. New journals. If you’re like me, you might even spend a few moments of the day with a new book and a bowl of posole.
2018 proved to be a clarifying year and I welcome 2019 with wide arms and a fresh, new perspective. I carry with me the deeply rooted truths I know for sure: God is good. His plans are good. Jesus is the best joy and peace the world affords. He is closer than we often realize. He sees things we don’t see and He knows things we don’t know. He is our Rescuer. He is the One who will sustain us. He is with us — from the day we are conceived to the day we breathe our last breath. My purpose on earth is to encourage others with the hope-filled beauty of these truths. I want to see Him found.
I didn’t start the year with the word “clarity,” but it seemed to be the simple unfolding of my daily walk. I took a few courageous steps. And then I took a few more. I simply wanted to house more of Him and each day He revealed more and more of what it meant for me to be a spiritual midwife. A woman who will breathe alongside others as crushings give birth to the new life and over again. A friend who can write a book and throw courage on others. A mentor who can invite others to go deeper as they wait for really hard things to sort themselves out. I’m called to the Spirit-filled and God-breathed life and to live out the ways of Jesus in every room I’m invited into.
Through my tiny little ministry, I’ve met so many who are facing a hard reality with crushed hearts. Because I so believe that there is hope and possibility and healing for unbelievably hard circumstances, I’ve stood on the shore and propped up weary friends and whispered psalms to their hearts.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
Let say, welcome 2019! Beauty and wholeness awaits. Hope that springs from Jesus alone. Let us live each day in the light of eternity. Let us notice how God has been moving in and around us. Let us lean in and listen for the whisper of his Spirit.
Let us face 2019 with bright,
hope-filled and radiant hearts.
May your deserts bloom with flowers that you don’t even know how to grow. May your dry and parched earth be filled with cleansing rain and healing waters. Be healed, be whole, be bold. Find your new step. Witness a new thing brewing in your life. May every place of death become a story of unexpected life.
May you know divine fruitfulness and divine harvest. May God’s abiding presence be with you. If you feel devalued or diminished by the events of 2018, may you know His grace is enough because He is a gracious God. I pray for fruitfulness:
for invitations and acceptance letters and for opportunities to do the work you love.
Begin by taking a few small steps. You’ll be tempted to stay in the same position as you were last year. Stand up and trust your legs and take one step. Wake up tomorrow and take the next.