Reflections of 2019 for me read like The Tale of Two Cities–it was the best of years and the worst of years. The year echoed the vows we took almost forty years ago when we were married–for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health.
My granddaughter’s reflections in the surf are fuzzy compared to their real images. Often our reflections are fuzzy, too. They are blurred by perspective, faulty memories, and emotions. Rarely are an individual’s recollections completely accurate. This is why journalists and police officers can get multiple versions of the same event. None of the witnesses are lying but they each saw through their own lens of experience, emotion, and expectation.
Our reflections of a year, a relationship, or an event are the same. They are blurred by our emotions, our disappointments, and our brain’s desire to protect us from the truth when it will traumatize or confuse us. So what is the value of reflection and evaluation if it is not completely accurate?
“When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction” (Proverbs 24:32). When we look back with the intention of learning from what we have seen and experienced, God honors our meditation. Through His Word and through the witness of His people we can choose to apply His truth to our lives. Applied truth allows us to move forward, to change directions, to implement new plans, to work with others to find solutions to problems, and resolution to challenges.
This past year we faced health challenges, the anticipated joy of a new grandchild due soon, grief at the loss of relationships, financial hardships and financial miracles in our family. It would have been very easy to let the hard times take away the joys of good times. It would have been very easy to allow fear and anxiety to overwhelm us. But God…
…opened the door for us to buy a home when we were told we had to move out of our rental.
…provided peace when it would have been easy to let fear paralyze us.
…led the doctor to change prescriptions when health challenges led to fatigue and depression.
We saw the faithfulness of God and the confirmation of Psalms 37:25a, ” I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” (NASB) We are not any better than anyone else but we choose to believe and trust God’s faithfulness.
AS you reflect on 2019, was it your best year or a struggle? Are you anticipating 2020 because it has to be better than the past year or because you look forward to an even better year? As we move into 2020, let’s choose to overcome fear with faith, anxiety with peace, and doubt with trust.
I look forward to returning to posting on a regular basis and sharing my heart, hope, homemaking, and hospitality with you. I hope we can learn together from both our successes and failures.
Happy New Year!
