This post is for celebrating.
Celebrating what God did in 2019. Celebrating who He is. Celebrating in advance because He WILL show up in 2020.
I don’t think I have ever been more confident of His goodness coming into a new year. The time of year between Christmas and New Year’s is always so special to me. I’m reflective by nature, and this time of year feels like a gift to the way I’m wired.
But especially this year, it has been a healing time. And I’d love to share a little about what I’m pondering.
2019 Gratitude
❈ I finished my last semester of school EVER and had great experiences in both of my practicum locations!
❈ We had a lot of fun time away together this year, starting with a trip to see Panic! At The Disco in Omaha. It was a dream come true for my high school self.
❈ Then, in May, we took a trip to Door County for our 2nd anniversary. Winston came with us and we had such relaxing family time! I am so thankful now looking back.
❈ In early summer, one of my very best friends moved in with us. It has been such a sweet time together.
❈ We put Winston down in July, and the timing could only have been orchestrated by God. Before the month was over, I had a job lined up at a great clinic. And because we already had a couple of trips planned for August, I was able to take the whole month of August to slow down before starting my job in September.
❈ I traveled to Florida in early August with my roomie to celebrate our bestie’s upcoming wedding. It was my first time in Florida and the beach was so fun!
❈ A few days after returning home, Dellan and I headed to California to celebrate another friend’s wedding. We had never flown together and we absolutely loved our time there.
❈ Then we were off to Ohio to round out the August wedding festivities.
❈ This fall, Dellan and I became Cell Group leaders alongside a family that we love dearly. God has knit together some great relationships in our group during our first semester together.
❈ Through a friendship in this Cell Group, He connected me with an amazing team of healthcare professionals specializing in fertility care. They desire to help me achieve pregnancy AND heal my body rather than just making it happen as quickly as possible. I am so thankful.
❈ We also bought a house this fall in our hometown! We moved in October. This timing was also perfectly orchestrated by God. A new start after quite a bit of heartbreak this year.
❈ In November, we brought home our sweet Dottie bean. She is such a blessing.
❈ Come December, I am feeling more settled in my role as a CMA. I am thankful for my coworkers who have been so patient with me! And Dellan and I have loved getting to decorate for Christmas and start traditions together in our new home.
2020 Word of the Year
For Christmas, Dellan gifted me the book It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa Terkeurst. Here’s a quote from chapter 3:
We live in a broken world where broken things happen. So it’s not surprising that things get broken in our lives as well. But what about those times when things aren’t just broken but shattered beyond repair? Shattered to the point of dust. At least when things are broken there’s some hope that you can glue the pieces back together. But what if there aren’t even pieces to pick up in front of you? You can’t glue dust.
Dust is exactly how I described 2019 even before I read this description. In a year where I expected gardens and flourishing, there was desert and emptiness.
Even still, I learned that the only way to thrive in a desert is to stay close to living water. Leaning into my Comforter. Drinking in His promises.
And here’s what Lysa says about dust and water in the same chapter:
And, when mixed with water, dust becomes clay. Clay, when placed in the potter’s hands, can be formed into anything the potter dreams up!
The last two years, my words for the year were ‘seek’ and ‘thrive.’ Both action words. Both requiring effort on my part.
This year, I hope to speak identity and healing over my heart with ‘clay.’ I truly don’t know what the year will bring, but I want to be moldable. I don’t want to waste the dust.
Whatever He wants to make of it, I am ready. I trust the Potter.
But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)
Gabrielle Ruth Writes 