It's the New Year!!!

A lot can change in a year's time! At the end of last year we were preparing for a 2012 that, in our minds at least, was probably going to look a lot like the year before. Busy, but largely predictable from one month to the next.
At the end of last year, God was preparing us for a 2012 that would look nothing like the year before. Busy, and totally unpredictable. He just hadn't told us about it yet.
Not long after the year began, it became apparent to us that we were going to be facing some major changes in the coming months. We realized that there would be a job change for my husband within the year, but there were a lot of unknowns too. As more time passed, it seemed like whenever one thing about our future became clear there were at least three other things that immediately became more cloudy and muddled. It was a very frustrating time for us - until we began to give our fears and worries over to God and truly trust him with our future. It's not that things immediately came together when we did that, it's just that the unknown became easier to deal with. Ultimately, it was only about a month before our move that things began to clear up significantly.
Things don't look "right" before they're finished. Whether it is a cake, a quilt or a house - if we look at it when it is only half put together it is probably just going to look like a mess. Only the craftsman knows what ingredients still need to go in the mix, or what pieces need to be sewn together, or where to put the wiring so that everything works perfectly together to create the finished product.
We have to learn how to handle the waiting. We can choose to try and interfere in an attempt to speed things along. Or, we can choose to trust the craftsman and wait patiently. Worrying won't change anything at all, but it will make us feel a lot worse. Attempting to speed things up simply won't work, and will probably complicate things even further. Difficult as it may be, if we choose to trust we won't end up eating a cake that's half-baked!
Even though it has been a few months since we have moved and we have begun to establish ourselves in our new community, the truth of the matter is that there are many things that are still in process. God is still at work. (He never actually stops working, does He?) I can't help but wonder what 2013 is going to look like for us!
So from our family to yours - Wishing you a blessed and Happy New Year!
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6: 31-34