& Then They Were Set Free

I finally took a minute to sit down and reflect on last year and set my intentions for this year. We had our life group last night and went around to talk about our intentions and our family theme. Our church theme is Change What You Love. It's with the intention that we are called to love God and we can't serve two masters. So are we loving God with all our heart? Or are we supplementing that love with other things?? 

What were the highlights and clear blessings last year?

Jesus! 

Hands down, it was seeing God in our lives and how He changed our hearts. 

My baptism. 

Tangible things included moving into our new house, Zeplin's new school being so close, FCBC and the friends we've made. 

What were the lowlights and hard things of last year?

Our 5th miscarriage was rough and I haven't gotten over it yet.  

Matt and I shared a moment in our marriage that forced us to really look at some rough topics in our hearts. 

What did we see God doing last year in our lives?

Everything. He initiated our move into our new house. I know that I wouldn't have found the church I was looking for if we hadn't moved so close to it. Please keep in mind, I did not want this house. But God wanted us here and chose this house for us.
And He did a work in Matt. It's his story so when he wants to share it, he can. 

What is God doing in our lives right now? What do we see as our purpose? 

Why are you where you are and doing what you're doing?

He has been working in our marriage and our relationships with our children.
We never knew we needed what we had now, it's been great to see the changes to our family. We still don't know why we had to go through some hard moments to get here, but we wouldn't want it any other way. Our trials have created endurance!

What is unresolved from last year? 

What pains, struggles and doubts do we carry into this year?

Definitely the miscarriage. I still struggle with wondering if we will or won't have another baby. But it's opened up that my heart has been resting on MY desires and they just might not be what His desires are. There is some tension in our extended family that is solely based on misunderstandings, painful comments, & lack of boundaries. We hope to resolve those in the next year or two. 

What hopes and dreams do we carry into this new year?

We hope that we can go forward. God has been good and faithful to bring us to this place in our lives where we are happy and doing well even in the midst of pain and heartaches. 

What do we hope to see happen this next year?

I hope to see God moving in my loved ones lives as He does in my life. 

What do we pray for God to do within us this next year?

Teach us what it means to surrender and to love others more wholly. 

What are our fears with this next year?

How do you hope and pray to be transformed this next year?

I fear contention with those who don't understand or want to understand us. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to renew my mind in the Gospel. We have been made free!!

So our new theme this year will go along with what I want to name my book for 2020......

& Then They Were Set Free

We've been changed in a way that we can't explain nor will we always be able to show. I've been allowing other's opinions of me to define my heart, instead of Jesus. This year, I am praising God for shaking those old thoughts of destruction and heartache. He's filled those spaces with praise, freedom and love. We've been made free, from things, people or organizations that threaten to steal our hearts from God.