As the year draws to an end, I’ve taken some time to reminisce on this past year. It was a time of great joy, a time of exasperation and circumvention, and a time of growth and reflection. Because of the trauma and abandonment growing up, as a young adult I became unstable emotionally and carried a lot of shame, resentment, and anger. Throughout the years, I’ve did a lot of confessing, praying, counseling, reading, meditating, self-reflection, and other work to move past pain into joy. I share this because each year I’m incredibly thankful for God’s grace, favor, and growth, even if its at a turtle pace, and all the wonderful people God has placed in my personal and professional life.
I have a couple of thoughts about family life that stood out this year:
- Marriage is so closely intertwined with my relationship with Christ. More on this next year. Romans 13:8: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
- You’re never really done parenting. Jesus is our father, he’s never stops being our Father. Parenting roles change as our children become adults. We are friends with God.
- Accepting people for who they show themselves to be, is not about me.
As I move into 2019, I want to move from milk to meat. What does this mean for me? It means actively moving from biblical principles to application (In education we say, its moving from theory to practice.) Living it out consistently, not when its easy, but when its tough. Last year, I focused on “courage,” this year I will focus on fruits of the Spirit. Taking back what the enemy stole.
My Daily Meditation in 2019
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5: 22-23
In His Grip,
Chana
Embracing Enough 