Like most years, 2017 has been full of really sweet and really hard moments. But through it all, my year has been marked by Jesus’ faithfulness and goodness to me. I’ve seen with new clarity how wise and loving our God is, and how he redeems our stories and restores our faith. Everything I am not, he is.
I’m thankful for:
- a year of traveling – in 2017, I flew to San Francisco, went to Florida three times, studied abroad at Oxford University, explored London and lots of England, traveled to Paris, solo-traveled in Scotland, went to Washington, D.C. twice, and finally visited New York City for Christmas.
- bursts of inspiration and motivation that keep me going.
- perspective on what truly matters.
- that God is a God of justice and how he is growing my heart for it.
- the abundance that is found in following Christ.
- a new appreciation for prayer and the closeness and faith that it brings. That God is listening and working even when I feel lost.
- that God’s promises are real and true and his timing is perfect.
- vision for the future and the many opportunities I’ve been given.
- a secure and confident identity as a daughter of God. That God is wild and free and that’s who I am in him too.
I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t spend at least a little time re-evaluating my life when a transition like a new year or new semester is coming up, so I’ve been spending some time thinking about what I want to change in 2018.
Goals for 2018:
- be intentional about my time with the Lord and make good use of it. It’s not about checking my devotions off of a to-do list!
- find someone older than me to mentor me, and find someone younger than me to encourage.
- finish my study abroad blog series and continue to post regularly.
- actually finish my “to be read” list.
- continue to be consistent in journaling my prayers.
- seek Jesus with fire and be relentless and persistent in learning about him.
- graduate! I can’t believe that my time in college will end in May. Time really flies!
I’m ready and excited to see how the Lord is going to show up in 2018!
