Word of the Year: Adventure

Do you set New Year's Resolutions each year?

I usually do. I wake up on January 1st and think of all the things I wish were different about my life. Then I proceed to make a list of what I am going to do in the next year to change those.

Not a bad approach, right?

There is just one problem with it. It NEVER works!

So this year I am doing something different. I am choosing one word, just one to focus on for the entire year. For 2015 I choose...

Adventure

Now that may seem like a strange word for me to pick but let me explain. When I think of the word adventure, usually the first thing that comes to mind is something fun and exciting, setting off into the unknown. But when I consider it deeper I realize that it encompasses so much more. Things like:

Hope
Anticipation
Expectation
A broader world view
Relationships
Action
Dreams

For the first time in a long time I am excited and looking forward to all that is ahead in the coming year.

As with any adventure I know there will be ups and downs, ebbs and flows. Take the adventure of child raising for example. For some reason kids just don't stay the same. Funny, isn't it?! You think you get something about them figured out and then they up and get emotional or start dealing with hormones or learn some new attitude trick. I am grateful that God has entrusted me with the raising of two young ladies, and I pray that I can demonstrate for them how to first of all love Jesus with their whole hearts, to be real, and to extend the love and grace they have received to others around them.

When I mentioned the word adventure including dreams I am telling on myself here. A year ago I was struggling quite a bit with discouragement bordering on depression. During those dark months I could pretend that everything was okay when it really wasn't, and sometimes I could even fool myself into thinking that I didn't have a problem. I prayed. I read my Bible. I journalled. I took long walks on the beach when I was alone. God never left my side. Sometimes when you have a traumatic event take place in your life, the fall-out and emotional reconciliation take a l-o-n-g time to come to the surface. This is just me and a part of my journey. Everyone processes things differently.

During that time I realized I no longer had big dreams. You know, growing up I had all sorts of plans and hopes for the future like any girl. I got married and my dreams got bigger! Traveled to Europe and I made it to the doorstep of that dream castle I was building in my head. God blessed me with a baby girl and I peeked inside the big door; life was exciting and full of promise! I got to take a few steps into my castle: purchased a new home, traveled, found out I was pregnant with my second miracle baby. And then the walls came tumbling down. My marriage ended and I spent the next few years having a baby, raising two girls, and just keeping life on the tracks. No time for dreams...a lot of the old ones were tied to memories I wanted to forget.

It was just me and God.

Looking back I can see a part of His beautiful handiwork in what transpired next, but I would be lax in my explanation if I did not say that at times I questioned and even denied that the path before me was the one to travel. As I've mentioned here, I started working from home in March of this year, and what a ride it has been! The biggest take away? Personal growth. While addressing some of my health issues has helped with my hormonal balance and I no longer have those dark days, learning and really trusting that I am in God's will has taken me on a journey that has truly changed my life.

And so begins the process of building new dreams. How different they look than the ones I had many years ago! But that is what makes them so exciting and a part of the adventure I am on this year.

God can do anything with my life. I am holding on and about to see what that is going to be!

M.I.A.

Yes, it appears I have been missing in action around here! Not on purpose, I assure you.

You know, sometimes I talk about the unexpected twists and turns that come our way in life. It just so happens that we had a full hairpin turn last month! Several of you have asked off and on what I do for work or if I am looking for a job. God has graciously provided for me to be able to stay home and raise my girls over the past six years. For that I am truly grateful and undeserving.

Last September I started volunteering at a local non-profit thrift store and had the opportunity to work with some wonderful Christian women. It was just what I needed at that time, but a couple of months ago I felt that God was leading me in a new direction, one that would lead to employment. As I began searching the help wanted ads for a job nothing waved a flag to say "pick me!". Either the times were wrong and I wouldn't be able to get my kids from school, or the hours were too long, or the commute was too far. I even went for one job interview but left afterward knowing the job wasn't what God had planned for me. It's a wonderful feeling to know peace even when the pieces aren't fitting together just how I think they should fit! I decided to wait. Not for something to fall in my lap, but to be still for a bit and see what the Lord had in store.

Come the end of March, I was reading a post on a blog I have been following for a couple of years and the author started talking about a product and company called Plexus. After researching everything I could find about the company and products, and spending some time praying about the opportunity, I felt that this was the place God wanted me to be right now.

Can you say Unexpected and Not What I Would Have Ever Dreamed I'd Be Doing?!

What a blessing Plexus has been in our lives so far! Not only have I had the opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with old friends, and create stronger relationships with acquaintances, I am experiencing amazing positive changes in my health as well.  The best part about it is that I have the privilege of helping people find answers and relief from health issues. On top of all that, Plexus is providing for our family financially as well.

Have I always trusted God 100% to provide what we needed when we needed it? Not always. I am humbled by His graciousness in understanding my frame when I have been anxious or wanting to rush ahead and see the future plans He has in store, and I am grateful for the times when I have been able to return the worries about employment to His hands and consciously make a choice to leave them there. He has certainly never failed me! As I sit here I can feel a bit teary about how generously He has provided for me and my girls. And I love the way that provision is usually a bit different that I would have reasoned it out to be. Just one more way He shows His love!

So that's what has been taking up my time and brain space lately. If you want to read more about my new adventure, you can click here or on the tab above that says My Plexus Story. Happy reading!