faith unfaded

I remember the end of 2023 well. The tide had not yet turned. My life was still obliterated in a funnel cloud traveling across three southern states while casting debris in the lives of those I loved.

I held on to silly Facebook memes like “2023 was your year to strive, 2024 will be your year to thrive” and “Say goodbye to all your pain, 2024 is your year to gain.”

I needed to believe the next year would be better than the one I’d just had because it had been brutal. The three before that had been merely existing, not good, not bad, just there.

I was fairly certain the storms in my life were orchestrated by God who’d had enough of my lukewarm life and vomited me out of his mouth.

Don’t be so quick to give Satan credit when you find your life in turmoil. Sometimes the Lord has to shake things up to set your feet on course again.

He also does some sharp excising of people in your life that you are unwilling to remove on your own. Spiritual surgery, I call it. Painful but medically necessary for a restored heart.

For a few months my 2024 word was ENOUGH. I was enough for Him and He was enough for me. No more shame and regret. No more guilt. No more proving myself worthy to others. I learned to believe in myself the more I believed in Him.

I started letting go of things I’d been holding onto. Those little vices we foolishly convince ourselves the Lord doesn’t mind.

The more I let go of, the freer I felt. My heart felt lighter. My mind became clearer. The past returned to its rightful spot, accessible if need-be but unable to cause continual anguish. Its place was now in the controlled recesses of my mind instead of my heart, a relocation made possible with forgiveness. I’d moved on to a new word: SURRENDER.

It wasn’t about me anymore at all. It was about Him. Whatever He wanted for me, that’s what I wanted. Like in the song Defying Gravity, something had changed within me. Something was not the same…

It turned out the silly Facebook memes read more like prophecy. I did begin to thrive. I gained many new godly friendships. I embarked on my dream career as a writer. I traveled, crossing off items on a bucket list I’d always considered a fantasy only. Reality surpassed my wildest imagination.

I reached my third word of 2024: JOY.

I chose joy.

For King & Country sang that lyric in their 2018 song Joy. It didn’t make sense to me at the time. Of course people want joy, I’d thought. They just don’t always get it.

That’s because you have to choose it.

I choose joy…even on the days when things don’t go my way. Or I feel bad. When my feelings are hurt or a project doesn’t work out. When everything goes wrong, I still choose joy.

Because 2024 showed me that no matter how bad things can get, no matter how much trauma you’ve overcome, no matter how much loss you’ve endured, no matter how many mistakes you’ve made…there is always hope and a promise of a beautiful life as soon as you realize that you are ENOUGH, fully SURRENDER your entire life to Him…and choose JOY!

Happy New Year! May 2025 be your year of JOY!