Well, we made it, guys. Here we are, on the last day of 2016. Tonight, people will be partying and celebrating with family and friends as we usher in the new year.
To be honest, new years has never been my favourite holiday. I just don't see the appeal in staying up until midnight just to say "Happy new year!" and then go to bed. I very much enjoy sleep, so I'd be 100% ok with skipping the festivities and hitting the sack at 10 o'clock!
However, new years is a really good time to reflect on the year that has passed, and to look forward to a new year. 2016 has been a good year for me. It started with me living in Madison, running the preschool (man, I miss those children!), and it is ending with me back home, working at the greenhouse. It has been a year with the good and the bad -like every year, I suppose. My Opa passed away in February, and I had to move away from a really great community (and roommate- oh how I miss Kenzie!). I grew in my relationship with God and my brother got married (and I therefore finally have a sister!). All in all, it was a good year.
Back in January, I sat down and asked God what 2016 held for Him and I. Looking back on that list, it's cool to reflect on how I can see each item and how God was faithful to what He said. For example, one of the things was "Learning how to grow with God independently, without having classes and YWAM community."
This was a big one for me. Growing up, I had a quiet time every morning after breakfast; it was part of my schooling, really. But as I got older, quiet times grew harder to have. I would skip them more then I'd have them. Then I went to DTS and quiet times were scheduled into our daily schedule. This was a time of great growth for me, and my relationship with God definitely grew because of it.
Then I went back home after DTS and my quiet times basically stopped again. When I returned on staff and was living with the DTS, I again started to grow in my relationship with God because not only did I have quiet times in my schedule again, but I also was attending DTS classes again. Learning how to grow in my relationship with God independently was something that I had no idea how to do.
I can't say that I have a "quiet time" every day, but I definitely talk to God every day. My job offers many opportunities to spend time with God while I'm working alone. And while I still have a lot of room to grow in this area, I definitely can see how far I have come in the past year. I am able to sit down and read the Bible and really learn from it, without having someone there to tell me what it means.
Another item on the list was "Grow in confidence". I totally can see this in myself this year. I've never been the most confident person. I'd always second guess myself. I do this so less often now! God has definitely given me a confidence about who I am and who He is. Because I know my identity as His daughter, I am able to stand firm in that. One area where I really see this most is at youth group. God asked me to be a youth leader at my church this year, so of course I listened and am doing that. To be honest, teenagers kinda scare me and the are definitely not my favourite age to be around. But God has given me the confidence to be a youth leader and to stand firm in the things I believe. It's been cool to see!
On the list of things God told me would happen during 2016, it also said "Searching". This is so true! After coming back from Madison, I was searching for who I am, for my worth, for what God wanted me to do next. I've spent a lot of time this year searching, and God has given me a lot of answers -although definitely not all! I've made discoveries about myself and about God and it's been pretty terrific!
So yeah, 2016 has been a year of growth for me, and a year where I have really seen God's faithfulness. It's been a year where I have really put my trust in God, and He has not failed me. I'm looking forward to this coming year, and seeing what adventures and lessons God has for me in the next 365 days!
Blessings,
Katie
