2013~ A season of growth

It's a brand new year. Its time
to make resolutions, I choose to call them goals. Whatever we want to call them, it's a great time to think about what expectations we have for our lives and what direction we need to go.
Last year was a year of recovery for our entire family. There are many factors that influenced the need for this. The bigger picture, our family wasn't on a spiritual path or living in God's will. We did have about 6 months of recovery going into 2012 but we had many more years of traveling the wrong way.

In 2012, we attended many Celebrate Recovery meetings. We started attending church again. My husband helped launch the landing and I helped launch Celebration Station, the teenage and children ministries for Celebrate Recovery. We were able to visit other churches and recovery programs and give our testimonies. We were blessed to be so immersed, along with our children, into an environment that provided much healing.
Our new way of life was a little terrifying. It was different than anything we had planned. I read in Hebrews a verse that reflected this past year so much for me...

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; "~ (Hebrews 10:31, 32 KJV)

I can literally see God scooping up our family, dangling us across the way like a huge crane, as he swings back on to the path HE intended for us. That swing across was terrifying. So many changes, old environments and old relationships gone replaced with new places and new relationships. Landing on our feet, in the will of God, made it worth it. It just took our obedience and faith.

I worked on several projects this year, one being to see what it would take to bring a homeless resource center to our hometown. I was visiting another homeless resource center with members of a board I serve on. I can't explain the feeling I felt as I stood there in the middle of this day center full of the homeless other than to say it was the hug of God, letting me know this was where I was supposed to be standing. I was froze in place for several minutes.

That recaps a lot of 2012 as far as Recovery is concerned. As 2013 begins, I have set my goals and expectations. One thing I have learned, to pray for God's will for my life and the strength to carry that out. I can't say I have many specific
expectations but as 2012 was to recovery, 2103 will be to growth.

I pray for growth in faith, wisdom, relationships, service, recovery and love.

"Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. " (Job 8:19 KJV)

Whatever your goals, resolutions, and expectations for 2013... Hold on tight to your faith. Give glory to God whenever possible and always help that love grow by leaving fingerprints.

A Grateful Believer in Jesus Christ
~Johnna