2013 is proving to be the opposite of dull.
My emotions, scattered.
My patience, taut.
My nerves, a bit frazzled.
We’re just in the beginning, and already Ryan and I have made a significant decision. One that is no less nerve-wracking, despite being so very Spirit-led.
We’re just in the beginning, and already He has been stripping away those stubborn bits of darkness and dirt (a.k.a., pride and false security) from the hidden places of my heart.
We’re just in the beginning, and it seems Jesus wants me on unsteady ground.
Perhaps 2013 will be a shaky, crazy, wobbly year.
And perhaps that’s a good thing, because the wobblier the walk and the more uncertain the steps ahead, the tighter I hold onto Him and His Word and His promises.
My stepmom got me one of those daily calendar doo-dads for Christmas. I’m awful at keeping up with them, so yesterday I flipped through ten straight pages to get to today’s date. And there was one I found particularly resonant. Especially since it mentioned Surprises, which was my prediction for 2013. I thought I’d share it with you today, in case you need the reminder as well.
“The God of surprises strikes again….God does that for the faithful.
Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarai gets pregnant…
Just when the failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned….
The lesson? Three words. Don’t give up….God is watching.
For all you know right at this moment, the check may be in the mail. The job contract may be on the desk.
Don’t quit. For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers.”
Let’s Talk: What’s God been teaching you so far in 2013?
Love this Katie!!
Wobbly… yup, that would describe things to a T here too!
Honestly, God’s teaching has taken a bit of a different direction that I’d thought.
I’m getting a crash course reminder on how to be a “good” wife… He’s correcting about 13 years of some bad habits in me… and doing the same in my hubby. Hoping we come out MUCH better for it!
The thought struck me…if we DO quit? Are we rejecting His answer to our prayers before they are sent in His time?
I love that! And I needed that. 🙂
Katie,
Although I’ve been e-absent most of December, and I’ve slowly been easing back into things this month, I’ve been thinking about and praying for my friends out here. You’ve been on my heart so much with your adoption process, with your writing, with your amazing B-man, your marriage.
Since I can’t dance, I like to think of shaky ground as God trying to teach me to dance. If I won’t move, He’ll move me. SOOO…you’re doing the wobbly dance, my friend. And you’re doing it with style. And grace. Thank you for sharing your heart.
Blessings,
Becky
Wow, what a powerful calendar quote, Katie! Thanks for sharing. And I love the idea of clinging to God when we’re on wobbly ground. Praying you discover all the joy God has in mind for you in 2013.
“… the wobblier the walk and the more uncertain the steps ahead, the tighter I hold onto Him and His Word and His promises.” This is awesome, Katie.
Already this year I’ve gotten a lesson in God’s timing and my need to slow down and embrace each step in the journey He’s got me on.
Good gosh do I sympathize. Our family is on wobbly ground right now, too.
For the past five years, we’ve been going from one crisis to another. It’s been rough. But we’ve also learned a lot.
One of the things I think God has been teaching me, ironically, is self-sufficiency. Because of various events, I’ve been learning to rely on my personal relationship with him instead of relying so much on others. I’ve been learning to act in his timeline, not mine, and that blessings will always come when we need but not necessarily when we want.
I’ve been learning I get too wrapped up in my expectations of how things should be instead of stopping to consider his plan for me.
These are hard things to learn, and I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the process or even that’s it’s finished. However, I am grateful.
Yeah, surprises. My one word for the year is “release” as in “let go” and already (it’s not even halfway through January!) He is testing that in me. To let go of what I fear and trust Him. To let got of what I trust in and trust Him. To open myself up to possibilities and surprises (I like things more predictible) and the unplanned. Thanks so much for these words. Sounds like we’re in for quite a ride this year!
He’s been teaching me that his love and his purpose is so much bigger than I even know.
Great thought, Katie, thanks for sharing!
I needed to hear that today!
I love those daily calendars! You should check out the lines by DaySpring! 🙂
To let go and let him do his job.
I feel like I’m in this strange middle ground of having signed with an amazing agent and now it’s about patience and waiting. And I find myself stressing out about the craziest little things and second guessing so many things. Like did that Tweet, or FB post or blog post not come out the way I intended it to and will today be the day that editor from that amazing publishing house looks at my proposal and decides to have a look at my online presence, and then that stupid thing I posted totally destroy my chances with them… you get the picture!
I’m reading Genesis at the moment and the topic that keeps hitting me is people trying to take things into their own hands and make things happen, rather than step back and allow God to deliver on what he said he would do in his own timing.
I just have to keep reminding myself that he’s brought me this far, it’s going to take more than a badly worded fifty character Tweet to derail his plans, whatever they are 🙂
Oh Kara – I think all of us writers are the same! Being on submission is such a trying time. I think I second-guessed everything! Still do, sometimes. Just know that a pub house is not going to sign you or not sign you b/c of a Tweet. I promise!
Glad to know I’m not the only one who struggles with this type of stuff. Absolutely love the lessons hitting you throughout Genesis. Thanks for sharing that! Especially relevant to me these days!