A New Year's Reflection
I am blown away by how I have been blessed!
Seth and I were recollecting 2007 last night and one thing I noticed is that many people have commented on how I have grown in the last year. It finally all became apparent to me last night as I thought about the past 365 days.
I started last year out with the youth minister's retreat at Steubenville, and it was a definite turning spot, a transforming part of my faith journey. I finally abandoned myself up to God. I "offered it up" as I like to say and thus became a more confident single person. I gave my strengths and my weaknesses up to God. I offered my whole self and truly turned a page-deepening my faith.
I pray I will continue to be able to do that-to offer it up and say to God you have the control. I am here to do your will, your work, in your time...I am your joyful, loving servant.
And in becoming courageously, confidently subordinate to God (which is a glorious paradox and not a contradiction) I think in turn I became a woman ready to understand love. True love-how my loving a man can be a Christlike, life-giving, church building action. In learning to give myself up to God I learned to give myself to someone as a partner, how to love with my whole being. And once I gave myself over to God-He then took my gift and gave it to someone else-to my dear one-My Seth.
I had put the possibility of us away. I grieved it, and offered that as well. I went though the sting of the disappointment of giving up my wish and my romantic sappy human dream-a fairy tale that I could get caught up in; to open myself up to the plan of God-where I can find true contentment and joy. And I had no idea when I did that I would be given back a hundred fold-God so graciously in return gave me the greatest gift ever-my best friend as my love.
I now look forward to this future I had wished for, planned for and dreamed of-fairy tales do come true; they just look differently than the movies. My future holds so much possibility-opportunities for joy and love. I've learned the importance of being subordinate to a plan that is not only my own.
And I am blessed to have a man who loves me dearly-who truly honors me. When I am with Seth I experience another wonderful paradox-humbly honored. I truly believe Seth respects, cares and loves me as God does. And I know Seth is also dedicated to me and my well-being. He is also called to be subordinate to a plan other than his own and has jumped so freely and whole-heartedly into this relationship. He trusts God as Joseph did, I have to be the luckiest girl in the world to be blessed with such a man of God.
I pray I can become a woman of grace; a wife who loves, cares, nurtures, strengthens and compromises for the good, the betterment, the God plan-not my plan. I pray that together we become more like Mary and Joseph. May Christ stay as the head of our relationship-may we be models of holiness, love and joy. May Seth and I answer the call to serve God and each other. May we unite ourselves to each other and bless each other-for when you bless someone you offer them the gift of your whole self. I have learned to give my all to another, to offer all I can for the betterment of that person in the greatest love.
God thank you for making my life so rich-so full of blessings! Thank you for my beloved Seth. Bless us Lord in your grace that we may continue to abandon ourselves to you firstly and then to each other-may we be Christ to one another. Thank you for love-the greatest gift.
Seth and I were recollecting 2007 last night and one thing I noticed is that many people have commented on how I have grown in the last year. It finally all became apparent to me last night as I thought about the past 365 days.
I started last year out with the youth minister's retreat at Steubenville, and it was a definite turning spot, a transforming part of my faith journey. I finally abandoned myself up to God. I "offered it up" as I like to say and thus became a more confident single person. I gave my strengths and my weaknesses up to God. I offered my whole self and truly turned a page-deepening my faith.
I pray I will continue to be able to do that-to offer it up and say to God you have the control. I am here to do your will, your work, in your time...I am your joyful, loving servant.
And in becoming courageously, confidently subordinate to God (which is a glorious paradox and not a contradiction) I think in turn I became a woman ready to understand love. True love-how my loving a man can be a Christlike, life-giving, church building action. In learning to give myself up to God I learned to give myself to someone as a partner, how to love with my whole being. And once I gave myself over to God-He then took my gift and gave it to someone else-to my dear one-My Seth.
I had put the possibility of us away. I grieved it, and offered that as well. I went though the sting of the disappointment of giving up my wish and my romantic sappy human dream-a fairy tale that I could get caught up in; to open myself up to the plan of God-where I can find true contentment and joy. And I had no idea when I did that I would be given back a hundred fold-God so graciously in return gave me the greatest gift ever-my best friend as my love.
I now look forward to this future I had wished for, planned for and dreamed of-fairy tales do come true; they just look differently than the movies. My future holds so much possibility-opportunities for joy and love. I've learned the importance of being subordinate to a plan that is not only my own.
And I am blessed to have a man who loves me dearly-who truly honors me. When I am with Seth I experience another wonderful paradox-humbly honored. I truly believe Seth respects, cares and loves me as God does. And I know Seth is also dedicated to me and my well-being. He is also called to be subordinate to a plan other than his own and has jumped so freely and whole-heartedly into this relationship. He trusts God as Joseph did, I have to be the luckiest girl in the world to be blessed with such a man of God.
I pray I can become a woman of grace; a wife who loves, cares, nurtures, strengthens and compromises for the good, the betterment, the God plan-not my plan. I pray that together we become more like Mary and Joseph. May Christ stay as the head of our relationship-may we be models of holiness, love and joy. May Seth and I answer the call to serve God and each other. May we unite ourselves to each other and bless each other-for when you bless someone you offer them the gift of your whole self. I have learned to give my all to another, to offer all I can for the betterment of that person in the greatest love.
God thank you for making my life so rich-so full of blessings! Thank you for my beloved Seth. Bless us Lord in your grace that we may continue to abandon ourselves to you firstly and then to each other-may we be Christ to one another. Thank you for love-the greatest gift.