...but God!

The last day of 2014!

All I can say at this point is WOW! It was a year filled with so many experiences, some were amazing, some were good, others were not so good and then there were some that were straight up ugly. Writing this blog was an amazing daily reminder that no matter where I am in my life and how I may feel in the moment, there is always something to be thankful for.

As the year comes to a close and as I write my last entry of this blog, I find myself sitting surrounded with family and friends whose love and support are just beyond belief, reflecting on my life up until this point, all I can say is...BUT GOD!

In so many ways my life could have ended up in a ditch, 100 times over, but God...more than ever I am beyond thankful for His presence in my life, even when I had no clue of who He was - He knew me and He loved me even then. Even in the moments when I thought I was alone and there was no solution, He always provided an answer or a way out, He kept bringing me a little bit closer to Himself and towards discovering my purpose. Through so may mistakes and attacks from the enemy, He never let go, He never stepped away, always fighting my battles, always inserting supernatural glimpses of hope in my heart. Over and over He brought people into my life that became closer than friends, more like family, over and over proving how loving He is and that all good things come from Him, that He is the Father to the Fatherless!

Although there are still so many things that I pray He would reconcile and bring to completion, I celebrate how far He has brought me and how much He has blessed me. I am walking into the New Year ever more confident of His love and His presence in my heart and my life, seeing the evidence all around. I am overwhelmed with His love and what He continues to show me each and every day.

My prayer on this last day of 2014 is that He would use me and my story to bless and empower others, allowing me to be the outpour of His love and mercy; that I would be the branch stretching from the Vine, ever so willing to be pruned and groomed by His hands. I surrender to His will and pray that He would mould me into the person He created me to be, conforming my will to His daily.

It is my joy to honour You, Lord! As I step out in faith into this New year, in complete obedience, trusting Your guidance, I ask that You lead me to where You want me to go, compelled to do Your will. I am thankful that nothing is wasted with You, Lord. Through it all it has always been about You! With You I know I can confidently walk into the future unafraid...

...and for that I am thankful!

Intimacy

As Christmas approaches, many persons are beginning to plan for the holidays spent with family and friends. Although Christmas holidays are filled with lots of joy, love and presents, there are so many persons that find this time of year one of the loneliest times. This is when even the cold wether reminds us of our need for warmness, whether literally or figuratively. This is also the time of the year when the busyness of life counteracts with the craziness of deadlines at work and the financial pressures  as we try to budget for the additional expenses for all the gifts (not to mention the special added stress of the upcoming VAT). It is a beautiful thing when all of this Christmas rush is worth it and is done with unconditional love and the holidays are spent among loved ones as we succeed at putting smiles on their faces. However, for those who have experienced any kind of loss - this time only serves as a reminder of those who are not longer in our lives...

Today I was thinking about all the interesting conversations I've been having lately on the topic and it made me realize how much everyone desires to feel that intimate connection with someone, how much we as human beings are defined by our desire to be desired, wanted, needed, loved...and accepted. Intimacy [In-to-me-you-see] - that connection between two people (could be romantic or not) where both people see into one another. It is that kind of understanding between to people who, although different, have the same understanding of life and the world around them, that compatibility on many levels. That kind of understanding can exist between any two people: friends, family and of course in marriage. You will know when you have that kind of connection, it is almost as if you can finish each other's sentences and you just know that the persons gets you, they understand.

I was talking to a long time friend today that I had the privilege of reconnecting with (it was such a God moment!!!) and she said something that was such a powerful reminder, one of many other amazing things we talked about, that there is a reason why we attract certain people into our lives at a particular stage of our lives. Mostly, we attract people who are a reflection of where we are in life at that time. The way it works, we will attract and be attracted to people who are on the same lever of function (or dysfunction) that we are in during that season of life. The timing also plays a role for the way we experience connection with people, typically serving to either show us where we are or serves a purpose of exposing something we need to learn in order to get where we need to be.

There are many moving pieces and factors that play into making that kind of intimacy happen. Intimacy is so strong and yet so fragile. It can withstand every type of weather and yet it can broken by one careless or unwholesome act. With two people who are healthy and mature that kind of connection can fuel a lifelong friendship and intimacy that is solid and beautiful. That is what long-lasting friendships and relationships are built on.

In my opinion, true intimacy can only be possible when both persons know who they are and their identity is grounded in Christ, when they are both in a place where they have worked through emotional and other issues from the past and are on the same page when it comes to the way they look at things. Even in our relationship with God there are so many levels of intimacy, so there is no surprise that even among those who are professing to follow Christ there are so many differences in the way we understand spiritual truths. That is why it is amazing when you share similar passion and connection with God and this can only be felt by the spirit.

We are all very different, and yet there are moments when friendships and relationships come full circle, when as a result of time and growth lives intersect again and it is a rare and beautiful thing. Reconnecting with a good friend was a very special surprise...

...and for that I am thankful