1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3
From Happily Ever After - Walking with peace and courage through a year of divorce
God didn't create women to be wilted or weak. Our gender has a bizarre tendency to minimize our needs and to belittle our own glory. Why do we play down? To make ourselves less threatening? To whom? Why do we equate this minimization with accessibility? We are not making others more comfortable by playing small. In fact, we are sending the message to others that they need to play down, too. I am not encouraging pridefulness but to be authentic by sharing the gift of our true selves.
Our strength is desperately desired. Our beauty is sorely absent when we stifle it. Our unique offerings are missed when we hide.
We were created by the Lord to display His splendor!
Root yourself as a creation in Christ. Align yourself to assure the nutrients and sunshine you require to grow into the majestic, powerful beauty God intended.
I spent 2014 defining a path of happiness as my word 'happy' became more ironic when one looked closely at what was going on in my life. What does happy look like when you're broken and you need to start over? How can you be happy when those you love are hurting? Is being happy selfish? Is the joy of the Lord really available to me? Who knew being happy was such hard work! I learned that God is seeking to help me find true happiness in my gifts, my family, my work, my relationships, and in giving love even when it costs me. Happiness is given by my Jesus, and he has afforded me the ability to tap into joy through physical activity, work, friendships, serving, and being blessed by others. It was a good year to be focused on 'happy' as it kept me from falling victim to the lie that I was damaged and would never fully recover.
My One Word for 2015 is 'new'. This past year was filled with first's. The first time I handled all my vehicle repairs by myself. The first time to drive a moving truck and set up house just for me and my kids. The first time I went camping with my children all on my own. First time planning birthday's, Thanksgiving, and Christmas separately from my in-law family. It was tougher than I thought and felt scary a lot of the time. I second guessed myself and had to retrain my brain to seek different support networks and ask for help when before I had not. It has been humbling, overwhelming, and expensive. But God has been faithful, friends and family supportive, my church amazing, and my kids resilient. I am happy!:)
Now I need to embrace the newness of my life. This is my new life.
In my new life, I walk to work and to the store; I try not to drive my van unless I have to. I live in a rented house; which is actually nice, as when there are problems with things in the house, someone else pays for it and fixes it. I don't obsess about the cleanliness of my kitchen. I can go to bed when the dishes aren't clean and not worry about. I don't really cook. I make food as necessary and we eat a lot of leftovers. Everyone is still happy and no one is hungry. In my new life, I eat less meat. Really. I eat salad every day. I stay up late and always have a couple of drinks before bed... maybe not a good habit to have formed, but I'm not worried about it. In my new life I dance. I love to dance and I don't care that I'm old. I watch TV... maybe something I could switch to reading. I have been reading less, but that is because I used to read to escape. I need to find a reason to read for enjoyment again. I joined a support group. I make decisions based on what God wants (which currently leaves me waiting, a bit frustrating) and what is best for my children... but sometimes, I just do what I think will be fun! I do laundry when it's convenient, vacuum when it's dirty, take up the whole bed when sleeping, decorate how I want, buy clothes when I feel like it, get friends gifts, talk loud, laugh loud, watch YouTube, always have money on my Starbucks card, and sing in the van with my daughter. I can come home late and no one is mad. I can leave for a trip without over planning my exit, and come home with no one telling me what I did wrong while I was gone. I do my devotions daily and enjoy spending time pouring over scripture. I sit with my kids and we passionately discuss faith, the Bible, Godly behaviour and challenging issues; then we pray. In my new life, we are not quiet. We play the music loud and we yell at each other - and no one gets too mad about it.
My new life is just beginning. Even though I still feel an emptiness that would consume me if not for Jesus guarding my heart, I am excited about what is ahead.
I want to embrace what is ahead and really see that it is new. God is not done moulding me into who I will be and what he will do through me and in me. I want to have a changed attitude about this newness, to be happy in the circumstance I find myself in, and to surrender myself to Jesus in becoming new.
18 "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19
New. The old is gone, the new has come. All this is from God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)
