To a New Year

For as much as I would love to cop out and copy and paste what someone else has written, I don't believe that's what God has planned tonight.  I will, however, put my friend Mykaela's blog link here.  It is most definitely worth the time to go over and read it.  :-)

This past year has been filled with so many things that are simply blessings from God.  There have been so many different versions of this post running through my head that I had to wait till now to post it.  In the end though, it really is important to focus on things that have gone right rather than that which has gone wrong in my life.

So many times in life we want to show others what has gone wrong in our life, and sometimes, it's things that need to be prayed about such as health problems in the family and big decisions that are being made.  However, sometimes I will catch myself complaining about the small things that really don't matter, such as running late to a class or becoming caught up in a grocery store by someone who wants to talk and THEN running late for something important, or even just really dumb stuff.

In reality, my life is as good as I let God make it.  Though a lot of negative things have happened in the past year, there are so many more things that God has given me!!!

Firstly, I'M ALIVE!  He has given me breathe every day and kept my body functioning the way it's supposed to, even if there really isn't any reason for it to.  He has given me day after day, giving me more and more opportunities to be a blessing to those around me.

Second, He allowed me to meet my best friend almost 2 years ago now.  She is seriously one of the most amazing people I have ever know, and she's even made me an honorary Aunt!!! (I am an only child so I will never have any blood related nieces and nephews.  This is seriously a huge blessing that makes me cry every time I think about it.)  I have an honorary niece and will soon have an honorary nephew come March. Her and her family fill my heart with joy every time I hear from them and hear about what they have been doing.

Thirdly, (after the first one they're in no particular order) I once again got to visit another church family in Wichita for their annual Family Camp.  Their camp is always a blessing and full of fun, singing, and most importantly, God.  One lesson a day, Two services a day, and Three good meals every day, a body can't complain about that, though the clothes complain sometimes. ;-)

Fourthly, God gave me parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncles that love me and support me throughout my life and continued Spiritual walk.  Though I may not always talk to them a lot, I think about them and thank God that they are in my life, and that they are my relatives.  If anything were different I would not be who I am today.

Fifth, He helped me pass all my classes!!!!  I am now, officially, a Certified Medical Assistant with an Associates in Medical Assisting.  It's been a long 2.5 years, but with God's help, I made it. I credit a lot of my passing to Him because if I'm being honest, I should have not passed some of my classes. Thankfully with having a father in the medical field and being interested in it from a young age, I already had some of the knowledge.  But God had to place me in the exact situation I'm in, in order for it to work.

Ugh, I could go on and on, from finally driving to Anchorage on my own to visiting the church Mykaela goes to, to the power not going out during this last snow storm.  There are so many blessing that my tongue, and this blog, could not even begin to name them all!!!  There's a song I love that on the last verse says:

Could we with ink the oceans fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Psalm 107 begins with "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever."  And it doesn't end there! The praises continue on throughout the chapter.  Even in Psalms chapter 136, we are continuously reminded that His mercy endures forever. Not sometimes or when He feels like it, but forever.

God is so good and I pray that I continue to remember that, and grow in that knowledge throughout this new year.  Though I may not know what is ahead, I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.  Praise Ye The Lord!!!!