it's time to move on, time to get goin'...

in the spirit of New Year's Eve, i feel the need to reflect on the past year.

i don't think there has ever been a year of more growth or change in my life. the whole way i live my life has been, and is still being, radically renovated. i really like that. i had to learn some lessons the hard way earlier on this year, and if i didn't still remember how difficult things were a few months ago, i might laugh looking back. the person i was this spring/summer and the person i am now are almost opposites. so many of even my basic ideas have been turned upside down, and i know that was by Christ. He put me deep in situations i had never been in before, knowing full well that He could get me through them--but still having to trust that knowledge. the whole head-to-heart things came into play more than once. trust in God was more or less the "theme" of my life this year...so much so that the tattoo i'm considering is the aramaic word for trust used in Daniel, talking about the great trust Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had when they refused to bow down and then entered the fire.

as i leave 2007 behind, i also leave flower mound once more. i have known this was coming for a while now, and i made myself a promise: don't detach from this place before you leave it. don't disconnect too early...instead, be where you are while you are there. i think that for the most part, by the power of Christ, i have done that. i have had some amazing experiences and learned some incredible lessons because of it. one of those many lessons was how to better trust my Saviour. another lessons dealt with showing me how much i still think of me first...and how to try and change that too.
anyway...i've stayed here. in fact, i've still got another week or two before leaving. i wouldn't be surprised if they prove the most challenging yet. but because of what the Lord has shown me, i do not face the coming weeks and months (which i'm sure will be full of more growth and change) in fear. i face them with...dare i say it?...courage, i think. but it's an unfamiliar courage--something not of myself. something from God.
experiencing a gift such as this really makes me fall even more in love with my Jesus. and, frankly, it's teaching me how to love my family and friends more. trust me, i'm still working out the kinks...but i'm learning.

sometimes i don't feel ready to leave this year or this town. but the truth is...i am so ready. bring it on, 2008! i expect this year will be pretty great.