Bring on 2019!
Stepping into a new year always feels a bit overwhelming. Even though it's nothing more than the turn of a calendar, it feels like the perfect time for a fresh start. A change. Time to refresh, rejuvenate, and refocus. A time to celebrate the past year and look forward to the year ahead.
2018 was a year of immeasurable, unimaginable growth. I experienced heart change, surrender, wandering through the wilderness, laughter, misery, desperate prayers, angry tears, and the faithful friendship and Fatherhood of God through it all. It was a year of stripping away selfishness and learning to love better. It was a year of being unshakable as I stood on the firm foundation of my Savior.
I didn't always make the right decision, and I certainly didn't always come out on top. I failed time and time again. I handled situations poorly. I feared when I should have trusted. I gossiped when I should have prayed. I sinned, but God forgives and redeems and His love consumes like fire and I praise Him because I am saved; I am alive.
My theme for 2019 is "God is my shield." I am clinging to Psalm 28:7 this year -
"The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him."
The first thing I think of when I think of God as my shield is a protective force constantly surrounding me. I love the song "Surrounded" by Michael W. Smith, which sings, "it may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You - this is how I fight my battles." Having God's protection feels incredibly relevant and real as I prepare to head to Belize, a broken and burdened nation notably deemed one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
A simple Google search of the land reveals murder after murder, as gang violence and drug cartels run rampant throughout the impoverished towns. The city we are going to is ranked 3rd for most murders in the world. Our bus driver was shot in the hip last weekend at a restaurant.
Yet I cling to this truth: God is my shield.
This verse stretches far beyond Belize, however. I am counting on God as my shield to protect me and surround me as I go back to Taylor and step into a community where a lot of hurt has happened. Where words will be flung like fiery arrows and gossip, rumors, jealousy, and conflict has the potential to destroy. Again I'll declare, God is my shield.
Having God as my shield does not mean that I won't have trials. In fact, this year could potentially bring the most trials of my life. But I think of the last two sentences of Psalm 28:7, which says two things about my heart:
First, my heart trusts in Him. This means that I don't fear because I know God is protecting me. It also means that I trust that when arrows of the enemy do hit me, it is because He allowed them to. Because he knows that is best for me. The trials that I face do not come because God failed at being a shield, but rather, they come because He as an all-knowing protector is fully aware that these trials will bring me closer to Jesus.
Secondly, my heart leaps for joy. This part of the verse is my favorite, because it shows that my joy is so complete in Him that even when the arrows come my way, being surrounded by my Shield is enough. I find so much rest in the idea that God as my shield will comfort me, protect me, and bring me infinite joy.
2019, let's do this thing!
2018 was a year of immeasurable, unimaginable growth. I experienced heart change, surrender, wandering through the wilderness, laughter, misery, desperate prayers, angry tears, and the faithful friendship and Fatherhood of God through it all. It was a year of stripping away selfishness and learning to love better. It was a year of being unshakable as I stood on the firm foundation of my Savior.
I didn't always make the right decision, and I certainly didn't always come out on top. I failed time and time again. I handled situations poorly. I feared when I should have trusted. I gossiped when I should have prayed. I sinned, but God forgives and redeems and His love consumes like fire and I praise Him because I am saved; I am alive.
My theme for 2019 is "God is my shield." I am clinging to Psalm 28:7 this year -
"The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him."
The first thing I think of when I think of God as my shield is a protective force constantly surrounding me. I love the song "Surrounded" by Michael W. Smith, which sings, "it may look like I'm surrounded but I'm surrounded by You - this is how I fight my battles." Having God's protection feels incredibly relevant and real as I prepare to head to Belize, a broken and burdened nation notably deemed one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
A simple Google search of the land reveals murder after murder, as gang violence and drug cartels run rampant throughout the impoverished towns. The city we are going to is ranked 3rd for most murders in the world. Our bus driver was shot in the hip last weekend at a restaurant.
Yet I cling to this truth: God is my shield.
This verse stretches far beyond Belize, however. I am counting on God as my shield to protect me and surround me as I go back to Taylor and step into a community where a lot of hurt has happened. Where words will be flung like fiery arrows and gossip, rumors, jealousy, and conflict has the potential to destroy. Again I'll declare, God is my shield.
Having God as my shield does not mean that I won't have trials. In fact, this year could potentially bring the most trials of my life. But I think of the last two sentences of Psalm 28:7, which says two things about my heart:
First, my heart trusts in Him. This means that I don't fear because I know God is protecting me. It also means that I trust that when arrows of the enemy do hit me, it is because He allowed them to. Because he knows that is best for me. The trials that I face do not come because God failed at being a shield, but rather, they come because He as an all-knowing protector is fully aware that these trials will bring me closer to Jesus.
Secondly, my heart leaps for joy. This part of the verse is my favorite, because it shows that my joy is so complete in Him that even when the arrows come my way, being surrounded by my Shield is enough. I find so much rest in the idea that God as my shield will comfort me, protect me, and bring me infinite joy.
2019, let's do this thing!