New Year Wishes

Happy New Year!

Photo taken at Myrtle Beach on December 31, 2011

My husband and I send you best wishes for a healthy, happy new year!

With temperatures in the low 70s, low humidity, and sunshine overhead, I could not have asked for a better weekend at the beach.

I love flowers that bloom in the winter!

Our accommodations were quite affordable, but we had to share our lodging with a postpartum mama and her eight newborns!

Our daughter didn't seem to mind too much.

As each year comes to an end, I like to take time to reflect on the past year, remembering what went well and what needs improvement, counting our blessings, and dreaming about the future.  I do my best thinking and praying while running outside.  I especially enjoy running and thinking at the beach.  My battles with chondromalacia patella have made running outside virtually impossible over the past 15 months, but I was at the beach on New Year's Eve this year, and I refused to let that injury stop me from running on the beach. So I prayed, reflected, and praised the Lord for His goodness while running here:

Oh how I miss running! The sand was so much easier on my knees than grass or asphalt, so I was not distracted by pain at all during my run. I guess the only solution for me is to move to the beach! While I usually need my son to walk on my back on a daily basis, my back felt fine after that run.

Walking out the knots in my back after our drive to the beach

Every year after dinner on New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day this year since we were at the beach on New Year's Eve) our family discusses the goals and dreams we feel God has placed on our hearts for each family member for the upcoming year.  While it would be nice to sound spiritual and call these wishes "prayer requests", we don't usually pray over these goals specifically or think anymore about them after we write them on a slip of paper and place them inside the New Year's wish box.  (Wishes that are also burdens of the heart, such as the salvation of the lost, will be prayed for all year long although we may forget that we included them on the wish list for the year.)  It may seem silly to set goals and then not review them regularly to keep them at the forefront of our minds, but these are not resolutions to strive for all year. Instead, these are hopes that only God can accomplish, so this is our way of placing our dreams in God's hands instead of trying to manipulate circumstances in our own strength.  This box remains closed until the following New Year's Eve, and the wishes are entirely forgotten by then.  I have usually forgotten what I wrote on those slips of paper by the following week!

During each New Year's dinner, we will open the box and reread the wishes from the previous year.  Then we write down any progress made or God's response to those goals during the past year.

It is always amazing to me how specifically God has responded to each tiny request over the years.  For example, one item on my husband's 2011 list was that he would assume a new service role at church.  He had never even thought about serving as a deacon, so he was surprised when he received a letter that spring announcing his nomination. Assuming this role has not only satisfied his longing to serve, but it also helped meet another spiritual goal on his wish list as well.   His 2011 list also included a desire for an improved employment and commute situation.  God answered this one in a way that we could have never dreamed or imagined.

Among our top hopes for our son in 2011 was for his salvation and spiritual growth.  On February 16, 2011, he came up to me out of the blue and asked me how to become a Christian.  He prayed that day to receive Christ and to have Him be Lord over his life.  His faith has grown so much this past year.  I would like to give special thanks to his Sunday School and LAMBS teachers and to his Cubbies leaders for allowing God to work through them as they joined us in encouraging our little boy in his faith walk.

One of the top items on our 2011 list for our daughter was that she would persevere in her school work and renew her love for learning.  Numerous blog posts over the past year record the dramatic transformation that has taken place in her attitude toward school work.  We never imagined last New Year's Eve that God would establish a brand new private, Christian, classical school only 10 miles away that uses all the same homeschooling curriculum we have used and love while providing a unique schooling atmosphere where our daughter can flourish.  Now she loves all subjects, not just reading, and even excels at math.  School is one of her favorite places to be. Wonders never cease.

I have seen progress in all five of the goals on my list from last year.  In each case the progress came as a result of God's intervention, not any effort on my part.  For example, one of my goals was to become more relaxed and at peace about our kids' schooling.  With our daughter at the new private school and our son, who thinks more like I do, being such a joy to teach at home, great peace has filled my heart regarding the kids' education. God sent us a wonderful community group which has also helped satisfy another desire on my 2011 wish list.   One of my dreams for 2011 was that God would open new doors for ministry, and doors opened in two unexpected areas I never would have considered on my own.  Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness.

If God is so faithful to satisfy the desires of our hearts that we do not even pray over as we should, imagine what He will do when groups of committed Christians join together to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Would you consider adding my friend, Jon, to your prayer list?  He and his wife are both dear friends of mine from college.  We were all involved in the same college ministries.  They have three sons and an infant daughter.  Jon has a tumor covering half of his brain, but his faith is unshakeable.  He is able to face this challenge without fear while encouraging (and amusing) others because of his complete trust in God.

The big white blob at top is the tumor.

Doctors cannot believe he's alive, much less walking around without much pain or loss of brain function.  He is having surgery to remove the tumor this Thursday followed by radiation to get the rest.  Please pray that the surgery is successful and that he suffers no loss in brain function as a result.  Pray it is not malignant.  Thank you.  You can follow his story here.