Just about a year ago, I had big plans to renovate my life. As often happens, things didn’t go quite the way I planned. My health and home are still the same. Our school year is going better, but not yet optimal. Instead of me working hard to renovate my environment, I felt the Holy Spirit gently working on renovating me. Which means the outside others see is much the same, but inside – the real me – has been rearranged a bit. Renovating sometimes takes things away to make room for something better.
Here are just a few of the ways 2018 renovated me:
- Our basement flooded again. With no warning, no rain and a city that still doesn’t want to take responsibility, our basement flooded again (like it did in 2016) We started our year again with a shop vac and soaked carpet, inevitably losing a few things despite our precautions from the last flood.
- We reached out to our church traditions beyond just our church. Life is messy, and we spent quite a few years recovering from losses by just keeping to ourselves. We attended our church, but we didn’t do much outside it. This year, we decided to venture out and meet more people from our Wesleyan Methodist church tradition. We went to the IHConvention in Dayton, Ohio. We went and participated fully in our church camp. We met some new people and were blessed by them as well as catching up with old friends.
- My firstborn turned 16 and towards independence. In my family, reaching 16 was always a big milestone. We met both sides of the family for a birthday party to celebrate. I’ve enjoyed watching Jessica grow this year. It’s bittersweet because she’s nearer leaving home than entering it. However, I’ve enjoyed seeing her spend time with friends, explore new interests and take on new responsibilities. I’m very proud of who she is and who she is becoming.
- I lost my car but kept my babies. When all of the details are settled and the story is fully mine to share, I may write a post about the miracle of our car accident. We are still waiting on a car, but I’m so very glad to be alive and much more glad that all of my children are safe as well.
- My little brother moved away. After living in the same house for 15 years and within 15 minutes of each other for the next 23, my brother moved out of state this year. He is one of my best buddies, and I won’t deny that it was a little tough. I’m happy for him and his family in their new ventures. But I sure do miss them!
- We were handed unexpected ministry opportunities. For all my life, I’ve been content to help out once a month or so in a Sunday School class. In July, I was handed a class all of my own. It now has 6 lovely little girls in it, and we’re trying to expand to include more children. I’ve been so blessed to be with them each week. I also was asked to read and evaluate missionary books. This is something I haven’t done much. I’m a voracious reader, but I have never read a lot of missionary stories. It has stretched me in a good way, and I’m enjoying working with others to find quality reading material. Our family was asked to fill in for a cancellation at a regional IHConvention in Arkansas. It was such a blessed experience for us. We met wonderful people and got to sing for Jesus (even though I almost lost my voice that very week) and travel to places we never would have gone otherwise.
- My second child became a teenager and about a foot taller. I’m exaggerating a bit on the foot taller, but it is amazing how quick they grow! Becoming a teen is also a big milestone in our family, so we met family again and celebrated. It is interesting to see Jeffery grow in different ways as he can stay home alone now for short periods and go to friends’ houses without me, is teaching himself guitar and takes over all the yard work. I’m proud of who he is and who he is becoming as well.
- We did some really neat things. Some of our favorite moments this year were firsts. Two of the kids participated in a Bake-Off with our co-op. We went to a coffee shop and just hung out together for one of our family nights. Jeff and I stayed in a lovely little cabin with a hot tub and visited a Swiss restaurant. Our family spent a day out on a pontoon boat fishing. I played the piano at a lovely home for older people and at the wedding of a sweet former piano student. We watched fireworks on Labor Day. Jessica got to go along with me and my mom to a women’s retreat. We got to see The President’s Own Marine Band perform in a town near us.
- God refined my reading hobby. I know this is incredibly nerdy, but I read 110 books this year. Half of those were fiction and 20 of them I only read parts of or scanned. The rest were devotional books, personal growth books, biography/memoir and missionary books. I read more fiction this year than I have in quite a few years. A few of the books had some things in them that made me uncomfortable. I skipped over those parts, but I feel like God spoke to me to be more careful with my reading. I will be a bit more intentional with my reading in general in the coming year.
Here are my top ten favorites from this year:
Raising Passionate Jesus Followers by Phil and Diane Comer – The parenting book I wish I had when my children were small. Very practical.
Radical Righteousness by Wallace Thornton – A very comprehensive history of my church tradition.
The Secret Thoughts of An Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield – A refreshing testimony and helpful to me in reaching out to those caught in the confusion our modern culture introduces about sin and lifestyles.
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala – Very encouraging and inspiring and convicting…I wrote many quotes from this one.
If I Run Series by Terri Blackstock – Most interesting fiction series I read this year.
The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannan Martin – Convicting as I realize the work I must do in my own neighborhood.
Bruchko by Bruce Olson – If only all missionaries had this kind of dedication to their work and the ability to write their story this well!
Atomic Habits by James Clear – The best book on building habits I’ve read. A little bit of science, but mostly practical help. - We learned we may not be 100% introverts after all. Yes, all of us love to be home, and we charge up best within our own walls. However, we’ve had park days and coffee dates. We’ve had family and friends over, and we threw a few parties. We’ve had game nights, stayed in people’s homes and had people stay in ours. We hope to expand in our hospitality a bit in 2019, but still make plenty of time for quiet evenings. 🙂
I’m looking forward to 2019 and the opportunities it brings. I want to grow in many ways, expected and unexpected. I’ll share about my Word for the Year in a few days. Enjoy your New Year!