Friends, what a year 2015 has been for me! It’s been a year spent mostly offline trying to figure out what God wants from my life. I’ve found this much to be true.
- He wanted me to rest physically and mentally.
- He needed me to physically crash in order to have no where else to look, but up.
- He wanted me to tend to real life relationships.
- He wanted me to step up and not be afraid to lead.
How did I come to know this? Well, I’ve spent a lot of time reading His Word this past year. Time spent understanding the history, chronologically, of His people. Time spent in the gospel with Jesus and His disciples. Time spent with Paul, who devoted his life to sharing the good news of a hope everlasting.
Here’s what I learned.
God needed me to understand that every single one of us are just people, struggling through life. He has given each of us a choice to be made. We can either live life in our own free will, making sense of our reason for being or we can choose to be obedient to God and His ways, in blindness and even doubt, yet; in that blindness and doubt, choose to trust that God’s plans are real, living, and good.
In our homeschool, we just finished studying the book of Genesis. Now let me tell you, if you want to know about God’s people, read that book! It took us 3 months to read through as there is so much information in it. Alongside it, we read other books covering the same stories, we time-lined the important events, and even started our own lineage on paper beginning with Abraham.
Yes, I’ve read the book of Genesis before but this time was different.
In great conversation with my children, I was able to understand and truly see from a far, that being obedient to God is all He’s asking us to do. Even in our sin, when we repent, He straightens the crooked and brings us back to His path. Abraham had no idea his son Isaac would be the father of Jacob, the one to be called Israel, whom would set up the line for Jesus Christ to be born. This same Jacob was distraught, tore his clothes, and mourned when he thought his son Joseph was killed but was really sold into slavery in Egypt. I’m sure he cried out to God many nights, in deep sorrow, not understanding why his son was taken from him. Joseph himself had no idea that through his suffering, God was using him in a mighty way to save His people.
When Jacob and Joseph were reunited, they were finally able to see and understand that although they were blinded at the time to His plan and, most likely, doubted along the way, their choice to continually trust God and walk in obedience proved paramount. The nation of Israel was saved!
That’s what I took to heart this past year.
It brightens my day to know that I don’t need to understand what my calling in life is, my reason for being, because God knows and He’s only asking me to be obedient and trust Him. These things, I know to be true.
- I am a daughter of God, and I need to seek him daily, after all, He’s my Father, I need Him in my life.
- I am a wife and I need to be submissive to my husband’s desires. Praise the Lord, my husband loves me as Jesus loves the church and he tends to my needs as well 😉
- I am a homeschooling mama and I need to raise up my kids in the way they should go.
These are the things in my life, in this season, that He’s called me to be obedient to and to trust Him in.
This New Years, My Resolution is Jesus
What’s funny is that in being obedient to Him, the desires of my heart have changed. I mean, completely. What I once desired, has utterly and completely dissipated from within my heart. That could only be from the Lord, right? Then again, I am an ENFP!
Every year I usually come up with one word that I like to pray about and nurture throughout the coming year. This year, I know from the deepest of my hearts that I want to seek true humility. Not for my own sake, but for Jesus. I want to feel Jesus’s presence in my life like never before and I know that in order to draw closer to Him, I need to humble myself and have Him chip away at my pride. Again, I’m an ENFP and we can be hard headed!
The more that I thought and prayed over my one word, the Lord brought me to Jesus. On Instagram (you can follow me by clicking here), I shared this …
This new year, my resolution is Jesus. I want more of Him.
H – Humility
I – Investment in others lives
M – More sacrificial love
Next week, I’ll share with you a passage in scripture where the Holy Spirit spoke to me in a mighty way to show me what true humility looks like. Folks, it’s not going to be easy but I’m sure that when one can truly die to self, all that’s left, is Him. I’d like to see what that looks like!
Anyway’s, that’s my New Year’s resolution and guess what, friends, I’m starting up my editorial calendar because next year, I plan on sharing one post a week! The Lord has shown me how to fit writing into my life without it being a heavy commitment. Writing is something that nourishes my soul and I love being in community with all of you!
Happy New Years and may God bless you in 2016!
Love,
Diana
Oh this is so very close to my list! Diana, you have always spoken the truth of God’s word on this blog and it is my favorite mom/whole foods blog. Praying for you and looking forward to learning from you on this journey 😉
Thank you for your words of truth and wisdom. As a fellow homeschooling mom, I love your blog and look forward to your weekly posts this year. May God bless you today and always.
Thanks for sharing. I subscribe to several blogs and appreciate that you are encouraging others to spend time with Jesus which is my hope for the New year. Too much of my focus is on less important things. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Hello Diana, I have been struggling with this very thing for months. I kept thinking, God must have put me here for a reason — there must be something I should be doing. I quite recently came to a similar conclusion that what I need to be doing is to pray and read God’s word each day in obedience. Thank you so much for sharing your journey! -Michelle G
It’s so simple, isn’t it? Yet, we do have a way to complicate things, lol! I do, that’s for sure! God bless you!
I was beyond happy to see this email and to read you would be back. Life really does work, flow, go better if I let God control it. My problem is I always seem to”forget” that he is in control. I am almost done with a 200 hour yoga teacher certification. As a requirement, I am reading a book about the Yamas and Niyamas which are limbs of yoga. At first I was quietly resistant due to believing in Jesus and thinking this was a Hindu aspect. This book is Not in any way, shape or form. It has made me think about all of my actions, thoughts and words. I have to write a paper about each chapter and how I see it applies to me or my thoughts on what in have read. I have rediscovered how much I truly enjoy writing. This book has me thinking more and more about my faith in God and Jesus and how that needs to be applied to my life. Thanks for being back.
That’s so awesome, Jenny! I’ve just started doing yoga and I love it! Oh my goodness, it’s something I actually look forward to doing. Keep in touch and let me know how the teaching goes!! Our local YMCA offers a Yahweh yoga, I definitely love the practice and know it can be used for good! xoxo!!
So blessed by what you’ve shared. Funny, I find myself in a similar spot
Praise the Lord, Hope!
You seem refreshed and renewed! I can’t wait to read what you have in store for 2016!
Thank you, Jennifer!
Hi and blessings. I am a father of 4 grown children, home schooled with my lovely wife of nearly 30 years. I work full time from home for past few years and took over for my lovely wife who found an enjoyable position serving others. We also recently became volunteer part time pastors at a small satellite church to our main church of 16 years attendance. No formal training. Since I had taken over grocery and meal prep, and since we try to live a natural, organic lifestyle, I had come across several blogs subscribed to. Yours being one of them. So good to know your commitment to your relationship with Jesus. Be encouraged.
Thanks John!
Beautiful Diana!!!!
So awesome to hear how the Lord has been working in your life! Way to be willing!! 🙂 I’m super encouraged also – to want more of HIM! Love & miss you!!
Thanks, beautiful Angela!! I miss you too!!! Love you!
Blessing for the new year. I do miss your post. Be in HIM!
Gracias, Mely!