With another year having come and gone in the blink of an eye, it's caused me to reflect on this past year. When I look back on everything that happened in 2016, I am truly amazed.
If you look on Facebook, many people will tell you everything that went wrong with the year 2016. Yes, the world endured a lot of trauma this past year, and I know that my life personally took some low blows as well. But, no one said that this world would ever be easy. In fact, the Bible tells us that we will endure pain and trials, but we are to keep fighting the good fight.
With that being said, no one takes into consideration all the good things that happened in 2016; they overlook all of the blessings that took place.
This past week, I went to a Christian conference in Atlanta, Georgia called Passion. For those of you that don't know what this is, it is an amazing conference for college students ages 18-25. Tons of well known Christian artists and speakers come and share their gifts with the students there, and it is just an amazing time of worship. While I was there, I felt a call on my heart to really reflect back on this past year. Instead of putting all my attention on the trials and heartbreaks that I endured, I needed to recognize all of the good that God has done for me instead of putting all my attention on the trials and heartbreaks that I endured. I felt called to look for the good.
After doing so, I came up with three main points that summarize everything that God has done for me and all that I have learned this past year. I want to share them with you in hopes that you too, can relate to them and look for the good in your life as well.
1. Don't rush God's plan or His timing.
This past year, God has really revealed to me how much I have taken His plans and timing for my life for granted. At the beginning of the year, I thought that I had my whole life planned out. I knew what I would be going to school, pursuing my education, and graduating. I even made plans of my own for my life after that. But, God didn't necessarily agree with all of my plans because they weren't His plans. They weren't the best for me. I was trying to figure it all out on my own and rush His timing on my life. I thought just because I wanted it at the time that it was good for me.
God has shown me that my life can change in an instant. Everything that I thought I knew and had planned came crashing down just like that. I've learned what it is like to really surrender all of your plans over to the Lord; I need to fully trust in Him because he knows you better than you do.
He knew you before you were ever a thought to your parents and while you were in your mother's womb. I know that it is our human nature to want to control our own lives and that it is hard for us to fully surrender it all to Him, I still struggle with it daily, but it is something that I am learning with Him.
2. Stop sitting at the gates of your shame, hurt, burden, and past, but stand up and walk in your freedom.
No matter what you have done, what someone has done to you, or what trials you have faced, you can be forgiven. You can overcome it. When you choose to focus on what Jesus has done for you rather than what others have done to you, you will have the strength to walk in your freedom. You can leave all your pain, burdens, shame, and regrets in the past. God will help you move forward from them.
What I began to learn is that God generally takes a big trial that you have learned from and turns it into your testimony. He takes the bad things that happen to us and works them for our good. Don't rely on your own willpower to get you through trials because you have God's power. Change your perspective and you will be able to move forward from all of it and leave it behind you.
3. Your worth is in Him.
As always, I am more than willing to talk about the topic of worth because I struggle with it myself. Especially this year, God has shown me that my worth is in Him. It isn't in my grades, it isn't in my success, it isn't in my relationships, and it isn't anything that I have to prove. God has made us all in His image. He created you with a special purpose in mind and has a great plan for you. He has fearfully and wonderfully made you. You might not be worthy of Christ, but you were never worthless to Christ. He proved your worth at the cross, so your worth is something that you never have to prove or create. You already have it in Him.
These are just a few summary points on what God has taught me and blessed me with this past year. It's amazing that, if you just continue to walk with Him daily, how much you will learn.
I encourage you to reflect back on your past year. Instead of focusing on all the bad things that happened, try reflecting on all the good things that God has done for you or the good things that resulted from the bad ones. See how it affects your view not only on this past year, but your view as you enter this new one. You'll begin to look for the blessings in your life, and your entire attitude will change.
So give it a try.
What did God do for you in 2016?
