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In this Blog Post:
Goals for Personal Growth
My new goal this year is to embrace the season of life that I am in and not wish or desire for another. My prayer is that I will fully commit to being the best pastor's wife, best mother, and the bestest grandma the world has ever seen. So, what does this mean for me? and for you??
It means that I will share my secret tips for attaining this goal while maintaining balance!
My top tip is to practice thankfulness every day! My 2nd tip is to believe that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes."
Keep reading for more tips!
A Personal Reflection
The holiday season is over and it is the start of a fresh new year! I absolutely LOVE the first week of January and I try to keep my schedule free and clear of appointments and extra tasks because I want to fully enjoy the freshness that a new year brings.
As I think back upon the prior year, I’m saddened in a way, because I thought some of my goals would’ve been met by now. But, as I think about the hope a new year brings, I’m excited for yet another chance to finish those tasks!
Apart from my ongoing projects, I’ve been reflecting on my personal life too: Who I am in Christ and what I want to promote with my life.
One thing is for sure, I’m getting older. And the older you get, the wiser you become, right?
The wisest thing for me to do this year is to accept the season of life I am in and what goes along with it.
What are those things that I need to accept in this season of life? Well, they are the things I find myself grumbling about!
For instance, I'm choosing to be thankful for my house in the city and not desire a country home, which we would love love love.
I'm choosing to be thankful for my full-time job because without it we wouldn't be able to make our house payments, hahaha.
And, I'm thankful for my busy life because it keeps me on my toes.
I'm also thankful for my age, because every year I become wiser and wiser, and if I wasn't aging then that would mean I wasn't living. So, I'm thankful to be alive and able to embrace my age!
Trusting in the Lord During Different Seasons of Life
The will power to accept who I am and where I am in life has a lot to do with my trust in the Lord.
A portion of Scripture I meditate on almost daily is found in Proverbs 3:5-6 and reads,
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil."
The more I grow in understanding of the Lord's ways, the more I realize the importance of not relying on my "own wisdom" and and my "own understanding" of matters, but to place my complete trust in the Lord for every situation in life.
I've also come to understand that prosperity, health, and rest are available to all those who trust in the Lord with all their heart, because when we believe that the Lord is in control, fear is done away with, and in its place is security and comfort.
Proverbs Chapter 3 has a lot more to say about these benefits:
"'Trusting in the Lord with all your heart' shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine."
My season of life right now includes being a pastor’s wife, a mother, and a grandmother. These are the most important roles of my life and they are the most rewarding. I want to devote the most of my time and energies to becoming a better me, and, it may mean that some of my personal projects get shelved for a while. Not forever, but for a season.
I'm also a full-time administrative assistant, which zaps me of both spare time and energy. This is a season of life I must embrace and trust the Lord in because I find it hard to go to work somedays. My heart and mind would much rather be watching grandbabies, working at the church, writing songs, or writing books, bringing forth much fruit!! But the Lord has chosen that I should work full-time right now, and I'm not blind to His provisions.
We walk through different seasons of life, some more fruitful than other seasons, and some more barren. Every phase of life is meant for our growth and benefit, and if we love God and are called according to His purposes, then we should trust that He will cause “all these seasons” to work out for our good.
"I Will Rejoice in Time to Come"
As I look with expectation to finish my personal projects this year, and find more time to play with my grandsons, I also look forward to meeting my new self.
Fear will be far from her heart for she will be a woman who embraces her season of life with grace and dignity, she will dress her age, act her age, accept her wrinkles, and she will accept all of her responsibilities, thankfully 😊 She may even be someone who recognizes her limits, haha. But above all, she will love life with every ounce that is in her, because God has revealed to her the blessings of trusting in Him: prosperity, health, and rest, and she knows she will rejoice in time to come!
Proverbs 31:25
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Trusting in the Lord with all my heart has given me much rest because I have learned the art of thankfulness and patience.
This desire to accept my season of life is God’s doing and He has put this desire within me. The Lord gives us the desires of our heart, and He knows I seek His highest for my life.
Abundant Fruit in Your Season of Life
Blessed are those who put their trust in the Lord and meditate on His Holy Word day and night! They will be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters that brings forth their fruit in their season and their leaf will not wither --and whatsoever they do, they will prosper.
I imagine myself as this tree planted by the rivers of waters, spoken of in Psalm 1, full of life and hope for the future, and bearing fruit in my season, because I learned to put my trust in the Lord.
Are you grumbling over certain aspects of your life right now? And finding it hard to embrace the season you are in? Are you afraid that all your "ripe fruit" will get wasted?? Well, you aren't alone!
Go to the Lord right now and ask Him for help. Ask Him to give you a believing heart that trusts in Him completely. So you may find prosperity, health, and rest in this new year, and bear much fruit for the glory of God!
And, remember: To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven, (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Let's Pray Together
Heavenly Father,
I'm so very thankful that You, O Lord, have given me a desire to share my faith with others. Thank you for this website ministry in which I can share my deepest yearnings with other Christian women who are like-minded in the faith. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will breathe upon this blog post and bring life to anyone who reads it. May each reader be filled with renewed hope and excitement to bring forth "fruit" in their season!
Lord, please speak to each reader concerning their gifting and ministry and help them grow those talents so they can yield much fruit in their season.
Help us to be patient in waiting for your perfect timing for all things to be fulfilled.
I pray that You will stir within each heart a new awareness of their stage of life, their position in ministry or calling and cause them to see where they are needed. Pour out grace to help them embrace their "season" with thankful, trusting hearts.
May we all realize how much we mean to each other, and how precious we are to You.
Father, bring health, wisdom, and rest to all who hope in You!
In Your Precious Name,
Amen
Blessings ~
Angie
the Founder
of My Sun & Shade Ministries
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