The arrival of December 31st always feels so hopeful and energizing to me. For several years I've tried praying about the year and asking God what I should call the upcoming year. It encourages me and gives me fresh hope that the coming year can be new and exciting and that I can overcome whatever stuff I'm struggling with currently.
For example, a few years back I felt the Holy Spirit was encouraging me to focus on relationship. That's the year Luke and I became good friends, fell in love, and started dating. That order is accurate :). That year I was filled with hope for my relationships and overcome so many people-fears I struggled with. Last year I focused on growth. I wanted to try new things that I had always felt I could never achieve. Thanks to my sweet friend Hannah I got connected with a local coffee shop and bakery that was looking for barista help. I knew absolutely nothing about coffee… which probably didn't make me very qualified to be a barista but I interviewed for the job anyways! I had always told myself I could never work as a barista but the name of the year was Growth and that pushed me to give it a try. I will always be so thankful for that barista job… I made great friends, stretched myself, and I still see so much of God's faithfulness and provision through my time there.
So all that to say, when December 31st snuck up on me yesterday I decided it was time to start praying about a name for 2014. I haven't quite settled on anything yet but I'm thinking something related to relying on God's power… moving in power… being confident that God has made me for this time/these circumstances... something like that. I'm thinking I'll settle on something in the next day or two. :) I like to consider thought processes that weigh down on me or make me feel defeated and talk with God about how we're going to defeat that thing. Sometimes the name comes out of that kind of thinking.
I just felt like I needed to write this morning. Stress and doubt hit me as soon as I woke up today so I needed to get some hope back in my heart. God is doing a new thing in my heart today and I will embrace it and believe for a beautiful and victorious 2014. Have you tried naming your year before? There's nothing magical or spooky about it… I think it's all about setting a belief in your heart that God will move in your life this year and you can partner with Him as He does. I'll keep you updated on what I decide on… I'd love to hear from you as well!
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
Praying that today you are filled with a deep and confident faith that God has made a way in the situations that have felt impossible for you. And I believe you'll see it happen, too.
Love,
Bonnie
Bonnie
Want to read more about naming your year? I first read about this exercise on in these blog posts by Jeff Leake, Melodie Leake, and Brad Leach. (Click the names to find their posts!)
Due to some circumstances in our family, including the death of a son, there has been a lot of hurt among some family members.....I am calling 2014 the year of restoration.
ReplyDeleteI love that, Brenda. Believing with you that God will do more than we could ask for or imagine in the year of restoration! Love you! If it's all right with you, I'd love to share this in a post later this week about names others have chosen for 2014.
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