My New Year

So my old year has ended and the new one begun.. and I'm determined to be better this year.  As Christmas was drawing nearer and nearer, I was so confused and tired and felt overwhelmed by life.  But then I went to a friend's house for a bit of fellowship and boy what a night we had!!! I felt rejuvenated! The time spent with other ladies in song praising the Lord and fellowshipping over food was just an incredible reminder that I am not alone and that He always makes provision for me.  Thank you Lord.

I also decided that this year I will take more time for me - for who the Lord called me to be.  I know where my spiritual gifts lie and I know how He has directed me to cultivate them to bless others for His glory.  And in doing so, I've determined to focus on one attribute in my life that God has told me in no uncertain terms..."heya girlie... this is in desperate need of repair!!"  The word is Steadfast!!! Ouch ..like I didn't know I needed help in that area  (look at my blog..hehe).  So I have joined a community called OneWord365 - not the Ali Edwards program (One Little Word) and a sweet lady named Melanie was giving away customized blog buttons with your personal one word!! That Melanie (www.OnlyABreath.com) is a GEM!!!  Thank you Melanie and she will be hosting a link up every 15th of the month.  I've also determined that I will participate in a psuedo - Ann VosKamp One Thousand Gifts type of dealie - o!!  I realize that part of the reason I didn't continue last year was because the prompts (at times) seem contrived.. some were awesome and I could readily identify multiple blessings to fit within the prompts and other days I spent so much time hunting for blessings to fit into the prompts that I was left discouraged instead of thankful for what I did see as a blessing. So this time around, I will count 3-5 blessings that the Lord has impressed upon me and not to care how they seem to others.  WHEW... what a relief!

Lastly, I just finished reading Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst; that was an awesome read; the poor book is dogeared as if I've owned it forever.  Next I will be reading A Sudden Glory by Sharon Jaynes.  I'm so excited for all that God is showing me ...I will be taking the time to bless my husband, my home, my family, myself, my friends, and my others (ya know... the others that rub you like concrete against your knuckles)!

I will not compare my beginnings (in anything) to another person's anything - whether it be their beginning, middle, or established years.  I will not feed into my insecurities and allow that voice to convince me that I'm not enough.  I will attempt to be thankful for the lessons God will provide for me as I embark on my journey to being STEADFAST!!

Thank you Lord.

Still Abiding in Him,
   Tiff