Reflections

It's that time of year again... that time when one year ends and another begins.  It's a great opportunity to stop and reflect on everything that's happened throughout the year.  This one sure has been crazy!  Here are a few highlights:

1.  In February, I accepted a summer job as a Site Director with YouthWorks.  The plan was to quit my administrative assistant job in May before I had to head to training.  Instead, I found myself facing an ethical dilemma that resulted in handing in my resignation a month earlier than expected.  It was a huge lesson in trusting God's timing and provision.  And it wound up being a blessing as God gave me 5 extra weeks to rest and prepare for the summer.

2. I went from working 8 hours a day in a cubicle to 11 crazy weeks of sleeping on an air mattress in a church, buying and cooking food for 70 people, getting those same 70 people on and off Boston's public transportation, and making sure no one hung their wet stuff on the church's beautiful woodwork.  It was an exhausting summer, but what a joy to be part of giving 9th-12th graders the opportunity to get out of their comfort zones and serve God and others in new ways.  I loved getting to talk with the adult leaders each week and hear how they saw God at work in the youth through their time in Lynn, MA.  Oh... and I got to live near the beach for a brief but enjoyable period of time!

3. My plan was to find a full time ministry job after the summer.  God's plan was to bring me home again to work 8 hours a week at my church.  I've enjoyed getting to put my administrative assistant skills to good use in a way that's much more fulfilling than putting money in the pockets of a broken education system.  Fortunately, my parents have graciously allowed me to continue living with them as I'm not really making enough to cover expenses.  I'm also working at American Eagle, which has been interesting to say the least.  None of this really fits my picture of what my life would be like right now, but in the midst of it, I'm learning to trust that God has a plan He's working out.

4. The biggest benefit, however, of my underemployment has been the time I've had to invest in the lives of the youth in my church.  I've gotten to spend more time getting to know the high schoolers, especially the girls, and I really love them.  I love seeing God at work in each of their hearts, and I can't wait to see what happens as He continues to shape them into the men and women He's created them to be.

5. I continue to see God at work in my own heart in ways I never imagined.  I'm almost at the year and a half mark of freedom from addiction!  I notice myself handling and responding to situations in much healthier ways than I used to.  I may not always feel it, but I know that He's drawing my heart closer to His.  In moments of reflection like this (and many times during worship), I begin to realize just how much I've fallen in love with Him.

As I reflect, I'm noticing the theme of this year seems to be "God's plans are not your plans."  There have been alot of changes, many of them not really what I expected.  But the other consistent thing has been God's provision through it all.  He has proven Himself faithful, and because of that, I continue to trust Him to work out the plan He has for my life.  Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing this time next year?  Well... He does... For now, I'm grateful to be here in this moment; it may not be what I thought it would be, but I know it's God's best for me.  Here's to a new year of living and learning and growing in relationship with the One who loves me more than life itself.  Wherever He takes me, I'll be content, as long as I'm with Him.