Happy New Year!

As I sit and think back over this year, I reflect on the goodness of God.  Even through all the bad that occurred, I can still see God's hand on my life.  When I doubted Him, didn't have faith in Him, or simply didn't even want anything to do with Him because I was angry with Him, He still proved faithful to me.  Isn't that amazing?!?  I did absolutely everything to make Him want to drop me as His child, and yet He had the desire to redeem our relationship.  I just am overwhelmed at the goodness and love of such an awesome God.  There were times when I told Him to leave my life, when I would rather have walked away, but He was there pursuing me relentlessly.  If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.  

Now, is life all good and "peachy" right now?  Absolutely not!  Life is filled with heartache, disappointment, anger, frustration, unfairness, sickness, death.  BUT, we can still have hope in the one, true Living Savior of the world!  Does this mean that I don't still have hard days, where I want to give up and give in?  No, I'm human, and Satan is real!  The thing I am trying to get a grasp on is that no matter the circumstances going on in my life, God is still God, and He is still good.  This is a daily discipline for me.  There are days when I can barely pull myself from the bed as I think about some of the events that have happened in my life.  Then there are days when I know that the Lord God is with me, and He gives me extra strength for the day ahead.  For that, I’m thankful!

For the year ahead, it’s my desire to focus on Christ, to make Him the desire of my heart, to focus on His goodness.  I don’t want to be a bitter person, always looking at the bad, not remembering that in spite of the bad there was still good.  I want to focus on the good, so that when the bad comes (notice I didn’t say “if”), I will have a heart of gratitude and a proper perspective.  So, bring on 2014.  I’m ready to leave 2013 in the past!

At His Feet

This past week the puppy and the baby (I really shouldn't call him that as he is not really a baby anymore) have been sitting at my feet taking in the warmth of the heater that I like to run.  We don't have heat in the house, and well, even if we did, I'm sure that I would still like to have the heater going on my feet because I don't like to be cold.  For me, this is a comfort.  I enjoy warmth, and well, I guess that Corban and Buddy do, too.  They will sit there (at least the dog does) for as long as I have the heater going.  This has started me thinking about sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Why do we - uh hm - I so often run around in a rush and forget to take time at our Lord's feet?  He is sitting there, offering us all the warmth we could ever need, and yet we are too busy to take it.  I am so guilty of this.  Very rarely do I just sit and enjoy the presence of the Lord.  Very rarely do I take the time to just sit and enjoy his company.  It's not that I don't spend time with him, but it's not often that I just sit there, not expecting anything in return other than to be near him and his warmth.  My prayer is that I will begin to have a great longing just to sit at his feet.  That I won't have to utter a word, that I won't expect anything in return, but that I will just sit and enjoy him.