2010

It's hard to believe that a new year has begun. We had a wonderful, blessed time with both sides of our families during the Christmas season. It was a joy for me to see the growth in each of my children - it amazes me that they can change so much in one year.

As the new year begins, I am starting two new Bible studies with the groups I have been a part of. One is Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and the other is a book study on Linda Dillow's book Calm my Anxious Heart. I think they are both going to be wonderful and it is amazing how God seems to bring topics into these studies that hit me right where I am at. One assignment from the Calm my Anxious Heart for this week, in dealing with contentment is to write out the blessings and frustrations in your life in the aim to focus on the right things. So, I am posting my blessings so I might continue to challenge myself to think on those things and not focus on the minor frustrations.

- Supportive husband who is a partner in faith and raising our family.
- Josiah, Simeon, Ezra, Evelyn
- Healthy pregnancy
- Ability to stay at home with my children
- Christian families on both my side and Joel's
- A Christian community to raise our family
- Wonderful, wise women with whom to walk through life and grow in faith (in two different Bible study groups)
- A kindred spirit in my twin sister
- A safe home with many material comforts
- A husband who provides financially
- A husband who leads our home spiritually

I have been so blessed, beyond what I possibly deserve and so often I fail to focus on those blessings and appreciate them.

My other prayer for this year comes from Ps 51:6 "Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart." My prayer is for God to really work truth into my inward being and wisdom into my secret heart because there is so much that comes out of me that won't truly change with "behavior modification", but needs a real truth and wisdom change deep in my heart.

And so, I start this year looking back at a wonderful, blessed year and looking forward to whatever God has in store for this year, whether it be hardships or blessings, knowing that He is good and I don't want to do either hardships or blessings without Him.