2019 In Review

Just like that, we’re at the tail end of another year. As is custom here, this will be the last post of the year as we go on break this month.

This year has had its fair share of ups and downs. It wouldn’t be life in the true sense if it didn’t have its mix of the sweet and the bitter. But God really does have a way of making all things beautiful in His time.

These are some of the gems I’m taking with me into 2020:

Don’t let what-ifs keep you from what-could-bes. It’s easy to get paralyzed into inaction by going down the what-if road. What if it doesn’t work? What if they don’t like it? What if they don’t like me? What if I fail? What if you don’t? The very thing you’re longing for could be on the other side of the fence on the what-could be road. Any time you find yourself trudging down the negative what-if road, hop over the fence and take a walk on what-could-be.

Not every lemon thrown your way is yours to bite on. Spiritual warfare is a reality for every believer even though a good number of us would rather bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. When you’re in the heat of battle taking blows, it’s easy to forget that fights are won not just by dishing out hits, but by deflecting blows. Some of the worst discouragement you’ll ever deal with will often come just before or right after the breakthrough you’ve been contending for. Because if the enemy can’t keep you from victory, he’ll try and steal your joy of it. Don’t let him.

Little ordinary things are the building blocks of the extraordinary. Any masterpiece is the sum total of small, repetitive brush strokes. Any champion is the product of daily, regimented training. When you understand this, you’ll no longer need to chase the high of achieving the extraordinary. You’ll find joy just in doing the little ordinary things because you know that over time, something extraordinary will come from them.

Stand your ground. Boundaries of any kind always get tested.

The Church is a treasure. She truly is. Just because she’s sometimes covered in a bit of dirt, doesn’t make her any less so. I’ve been immensely blessed by individuals I know personally and those I only know of from a distance who are simply pursuing Christ the best way they know how. They encourage and inspire me to keep running my race. For that, I’m thankful.

Until next year.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Be blessed.