2011 was a year of change for me, and I honestly thought 2012 would not hold a candle to 2011 as far as change is concerned. But 2012 remained consistent in the amount of change that would occur while I began the year with a change in job which included change in finances followed by an engagement and marriage to the love of my life (let's face it, getting married is a pretty large commitment). Marriage included a change in name, a change in responsibilities and a change in my self centered life all along with the gain of another amazing set of parents, the most wonderful Paw Paw anyone could ask for as well as a fantastic aunt and uncle and three cousins! :) 2012 has included a new church along with new friendships and community here in Gadsden, AL.
I look back on 2011, and I entered the year with much more fear than excitement. After spending nearly 20 years of my life in a classroom, I knew that was going to be ending and I had no idea what the future would help. I struggled finding hope in God and trusting Him with my future. But God is so good and so faithful, and showed me that His perfect love expels all fear (1 John 4:18). And that He gives a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and sound mind ( 2 Timothy 1:7). He showed me through a series of events, that I am wasting time worrying about the future because He is sovereign and has promised to take care of me (Matthew 6:25-34).
2012 brought a lot of changes, but praise God I was able to face these changes with a new hope and trust. I had learned that change was good as long as I sought the Heavenly Father and trusted in Him. I remember being in my last semester in college (Spring 2011), and all I wanted was to settle down- to have stability. I thought this constant change in life and this constant unknown of what I was going to do once I graduated was the scariest and most miserable thing. Over the past year, God has shown me that change is good. If there was no change, there wouldn't be growth. Growth requires change. And as long as I'll trust God with my future, the change will be a lot less stressful and a lot more exciting. My prayer is that this coming year, change will be a part of my daily life. I pray that God will radically change me through my thoughts, words, and actions. And my prayer is that Seth and I will not have a spirit of fear, but that we will seek God and trust Him wholeheartedly to lead us to do "whatever, whenever, wherever".
