Year end review
So it’s been a crap year. Sure there have been good things even great things this year, but the crap kind of overshadowed them. In fact if you were to weigh the pros and cons of 2010 the cons would be so heavy that the scale would topple over and land in a pile of crap just for good measure.
Even though the year has been crap, the Lord is still good.
There’s a story in 1 Kings about a woman who uses the last of her flour and oil to make a meal for Elijah the prophet. (He was a prophet right?) Because she gave the last of what she had to serve the Lord her oil and flour never ran out. That was our year financially.
No, we didn’t feed any prophets (Though we did give what we could to another Elijah) but the Lord still didn’t let us run out when we should have. When Steve lost his job we sat down, did the math, and said “Ok this is the day the money will run out”. We discussed which family members we would move in with, what we would sell, and where we would store things.
That day came and went and we didn’t run out of money. We did the math again factoring in food banks, help from our families, and everything we had cancelled and sold. We pinpointed another day when we surely would run out. It too came and went and none of our bank accounts ever went empty. God is good.
I learned a lot.
. Life without cable is not so bad. Yes we occasionally miss a TV show because we can’t record enough at once or because we forgot to put the tape in. Yes I miss Alton Brown and Myth Busters. Now when I want someone to talk nerdy to me I turn to Steve. He’s better anyways, even without puppets or explosives.
. I finally learned to make a decent pot of beans. I could also write a book on things to do with beans, rice, spam, and other food bank staples. I still don’t know what to do with canned beats. Maybe throw them at rude people?
. I learned the limits of friendship. Ultimately there are none. Friends may be the family you get to pick, but once you pick ‘em you are pretty much stuck with ‘em.
. I learned that being right doesn’t necessarily make you right. Don’t waste time being right or proud because you never know how precious that time might be.
. I learned that people don’t really change. It’s possible with enough Jesus, enough mind altering substances, or a debilitating injury or illness, but it’s not common otherwise. People may change their behaviors because they are not effective. They may have a clearer mind, thicker skin, and smaller thighs. Deep down they have the same heart, the same crazy, the same motives and priorities they always did.
. Humans are super high maintenance needy little things. That’s ok. It’s a mutual dependency and it certainly beats having to do all this alone.
I am not going to ask for a better next year. I did that in 2009 and boy have I learned my lesson. Instead I trust God. Even if next year is even worse he knows what he is doing. I am cautiously optimistic. I look forward to 2011 and whatever it flings at us, knowing that 2010 has more that prepared us.
P.S. I am not leaving out the hardest parts of the year by mistake. I frankly don’t want to talk, type, cry about them right now. I am still looking for a balance between never forgetting and always dwelling. Those we’ve lost know that they are loved and missed.
*hugs*
Michelle
Even though the year has been crap, the Lord is still good.
There’s a story in 1 Kings about a woman who uses the last of her flour and oil to make a meal for Elijah the prophet. (He was a prophet right?) Because she gave the last of what she had to serve the Lord her oil and flour never ran out. That was our year financially.
No, we didn’t feed any prophets (Though we did give what we could to another Elijah) but the Lord still didn’t let us run out when we should have. When Steve lost his job we sat down, did the math, and said “Ok this is the day the money will run out”. We discussed which family members we would move in with, what we would sell, and where we would store things.
That day came and went and we didn’t run out of money. We did the math again factoring in food banks, help from our families, and everything we had cancelled and sold. We pinpointed another day when we surely would run out. It too came and went and none of our bank accounts ever went empty. God is good.
I learned a lot.
. Life without cable is not so bad. Yes we occasionally miss a TV show because we can’t record enough at once or because we forgot to put the tape in. Yes I miss Alton Brown and Myth Busters. Now when I want someone to talk nerdy to me I turn to Steve. He’s better anyways, even without puppets or explosives.
. I finally learned to make a decent pot of beans. I could also write a book on things to do with beans, rice, spam, and other food bank staples. I still don’t know what to do with canned beats. Maybe throw them at rude people?
. I learned the limits of friendship. Ultimately there are none. Friends may be the family you get to pick, but once you pick ‘em you are pretty much stuck with ‘em.
. I learned that being right doesn’t necessarily make you right. Don’t waste time being right or proud because you never know how precious that time might be.
. I learned that people don’t really change. It’s possible with enough Jesus, enough mind altering substances, or a debilitating injury or illness, but it’s not common otherwise. People may change their behaviors because they are not effective. They may have a clearer mind, thicker skin, and smaller thighs. Deep down they have the same heart, the same crazy, the same motives and priorities they always did.
. Humans are super high maintenance needy little things. That’s ok. It’s a mutual dependency and it certainly beats having to do all this alone.
I am not going to ask for a better next year. I did that in 2009 and boy have I learned my lesson. Instead I trust God. Even if next year is even worse he knows what he is doing. I am cautiously optimistic. I look forward to 2011 and whatever it flings at us, knowing that 2010 has more that prepared us.
P.S. I am not leaving out the hardest parts of the year by mistake. I frankly don’t want to talk, type, cry about them right now. I am still looking for a balance between never forgetting and always dwelling. Those we’ve lost know that they are loved and missed.
*hugs*
Michelle