A perspective

I’m sitting here in the quiet of the morning, before my work day has begun. Christmas is just past, and the new year is looming just around the corner. I wanted to take a minute to try to express what I’m feeling right now before the routine and chaos kick back in. This will be the most personal entry I’ve made on this blog.

Christmas was really great. My whole immediate family was together for the first time in many months. We got to spend many hours talking, joking, playing, teasing, laughing, and encouraging each other, even in the midst of sorrow. I also got to catch up with many old friends, which is always fun. On top of that, God has been doing a really interesting work in my life, teaching me many things, and that continued over vacation. So I feel deeply refreshed as a result of the past week or so of time away.

And looking back over the past year encourages me too. A year ago I was newly engaged, with a lot of questions about where God was leading us. We didn’t know what state we were going to live in, when we were getting married, what job I was going to be in, or much of anything else. Now, here we are, with the questions answered, teetering on the edge of the chaos of two moves and a wedding that will introduce us to our new life together. We’ve come a long way this year. God has taught us much as a couple, and we’ve gotten a lot done as well.

So looking forward also encourages me. New friends, a new church, a new life together, new things God is teaching us, a (relatively) new job, a new apartment – there are exciting times ahead. The next few months may be crazy, but I know that God is good, and will see us through it all.

To my family and long-time friends – I thank God for you, and thank you for putting up with me for so many years. I love you all. To my new friends – I look forward with great anticipation to getting to know you all better, and sharing in our community in Christ together. And to my beloved – I love you dearly, and can’t wait to spend my life with you.

God, every good and perfect gift comes from you. And I’ve gotten an awful lot of awfully good gifts this year. Thank you. I give you this new year, holding it in an open hand. Do with it as you please. May I never view my life selfishly, as something from which to get happiness, but rather as something which should give you glory, for you alone are worthy.