Last January, in this post I named 2013 the year of Greatness. Here I stand at the end of it with hands full of burnt toast.
But I belong to God, so my burnt toast is His as well. I have a handful of grace-covered mistakes, broken promises that He has sewn up with fresh mercies, and unmet goals that God holds close to His face as He breathes new life over me.
I also carry some victories, and the greatness is all His. I know God’s love in ways I didn’t 365 days ago. His tenderness toward me quiets my insecurities, and it doesn’t really matter what I’m left holding here on December 31, because I am held by a God of love and power, and He transforms burnt toast into a meal fit for royalty.
There were a few moments this year that I considered quitting, or maybe just sitting down in defeat for a little while. But there is no quitting if you want Jesus most of all. Mornings are full of joy and new mercies.
Below are my favorite posts of 2013, if you have a spare ten minutes you can click through them as a sort of year in review. some are funny, some are just honest declarations from my heart.
I stand on this last day of the year and gratefully say the growth and the love have been worth the fight, the pain, the time, and the courage they required.
It has been a year of God’s greatness, indeed:
Happy New Year, friends. I pray your hands are full of love like mine are today, and that 2014 becomes the year we all find God’s love in new ways, drawing us deeper into His purposes.
