My God year

 Hey everyone! It’s great to be back blogging! I trust that this year has started well for everyone – I find it hard to believe that we’re well into February already. In the spirit of this, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a little of my story with you which might have seemed more appropriate in January but let’s not worry about that ;)


I have always considered myself a Christian but there have definitely been some back sliding seasons and one of the biggest faith changers for me was my year in South Korea. I found myself questioning everything to do with my faith and although I never renounced it completely – it’s safe to say my walk with Christ was pretty much non-existent. Coming home last February I had no idea what I was walking into…I was lost. I felt that I had no friends and no real plan for my year. But let me tell you something; when God pursues you, you had better hold on. He started by walking me straight into a Hillsong Concert courtesy of a ticket from my brother and although I was less than excited to go, that is where God literally enveloped me in the biggest bear hug ever. From there, 2013 can only be described as my God year. He placed me in a church where I have never felt more at home and surrounded me with people to love me and people to love in return. I found work to keep me busy and began the process of applying for Masters. This is where my biggest lesson came; learning about peace. As I struggled to find which course to apply for, I just had such a restlessness. I thought it was just me procrastinating but in hindsight I see it was definitely God withholding His peace until I found the right path. A chance coffee with a friend saw me learning that the course I really wanted to do does exist and I managed to apply just in time. If God’s hand wasn’t in that then paint me purple and call me Barney.


From there everything just fell into place and has been falling into place ever since. I’m enrolled in my Master’s course, I’ve found a job that allows me to study fulltime and I never cease to see His Hand in my everyday life. I have learnt to trust completely in Christ. Jeremiah 29:11 has always been a verse that I hang onto but never before has it been so obvious in my life. And let me tell you, this journey has been tough sometimes. I’ve had to cut things off, I’ve had to learn to be self-disciplined. Coming back from the interview I got a few weeks ago I was just thanking God for all He’s done but I felt Him say to me “I expect big things from you”. I cried a bit. God wants big things from ME? Time to put my big girl panties on and get going. 2013 was about Him getting me back on track but this year is all about making the most of what I’ve been given and running this race for Him.


I’m not telling you this to blow my own horn and tell you how well my life is going; I’m trying to do the exact opposite and give all glory to the One in charge. I also hope I can encourage those of you who are maybe feeling a little lost yourselves. Dedicate yourself to prayer. Talk to Him about it. Commit the issues, your life, your will to Him and He WILL come through for you. Trust in that peace. Trust in the little things; sometimes we wait for this big booming answer but don’t for a minute take for granted the opportunities and doors opened for you every day. Our Pastor explained hearing God so well during a recent sermon. He said that sometimes it’s in the looking back that we see how all the little things line up to bring you to where you are. As someone who has always struggled to ‘hear’ God, my past year has taught me so much and I believe that everything presented to me is there for a reason, to help me find the right path. We’re given the freedom of choice by our Saviour; He forces nothing on us and can only try help show us the way IF we allow Him to.


Be encouraged friends. He is training us, He wants the best for us. He loves us more than we can ever comprehend and more than we could ever deserve. I hope it’s okay that I shared this with you and hope I have managed to encourage. In closing I think I want to leave Hebrews 12:1-11 with you; I know its long but go and read the whole chapter. It is so life-giving.


“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honour, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!


In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?


My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.


God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; its training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God”.


Till next time. Let go and let God.

B