New Years Resolutions...and other things....

Happy New Year, gentle readers....

The picture at the left is of a rushing river in Ireland. Many of you know that my family history is Celtic and I've been fascinated by all things Celtic lately. But while looking at this photo, I was reminded of how our lives are like a rushing river. Each year marches on without fail. Some months feel as though the river just crawls along. But in the final analysis, it is rushing by.

We have all been through so much this year. Personally, in our house we have faced the aftermath of my partner's deployment to Iraq, the constant fight with the Veterans' Administration over their responsibility to her, the fear of Hurricane Katrina and all of the stress of trying to overcome the losses from that storm, the loss of jobs and loved ones. The list goes on, as I'm sure it does for you.

But, just as the river rushes forward so do our lives. This is a new year with new promises and...new challenges. The cold, dark winter will eventually lead us to a bright, colorful springtime. We can be comforted in knowing that seasons of despair lead ultimately to seasons of joy and promise. We can be assured that above all things our God has our very best interests at heart and will never let us fall.

My partner and I have learned this lesson this year. Our God is bigger than any earthly difficulty we face. Our lives have truly become about "but God." In our humanity we struggle and triumph, as well as struggle and fail. "But God" in the spirit realm works for our good in all things. Our needs have been met this year in ways of which we could never dream. God has used people we didn't know to meet needs we had...and always at the time they were needed! Just this month, one of our customers at work called and asked to speak to the girl from Bay St. Louis. When I identified myself, they asked how long I would be working that day (it was Christmas Eve). They said to wait for them and they would be there shortly. Two wonderful folks walked in and handed me a Christmas card with a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart/Sam's Club. These are people completely unknown to me, but well-known to God. Their obedience provided us food and gas for the last week of December when we didn't know where to turn.

These incidences occured all these months. To show you all of them would take pages and pages. My point is that God knows us. God knows what this year will bring, both good and not so good. When we submit ourselves to Him, He works on our behalf to meet all of our needs. Remember the scripture that says, "...my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)

My dear friends, you can know in your heart (as I do in mine) that regardless of what you face in 2006, whether good or challenging, God will be your strength and your provider. So go forward into this year with great confidence. The river will continue to rush, but God will be the guide through the rapids!

May God richly bless you this year. I thank you for reading and sharing time with me through this blog. You have honored me with your time and your comments. I am looking forward to sharing more of my journey with you.

CLG-B