I've been thinking a lot about mine and Andrew's future lately. Thoughts and questions are constantly circling through my head. Thoughts and questions such as: "Where will we be in a year? Will Andrew find a contracted teaching job? Will we ever be able to afford an apartment, or will we be apartment managers forever? Will we ever pay off our debt? Will we ever own a house? Will we ever have money we can use to go on trips and see the world? How will we ever be able to afford children? Will we have to raise our children in an apartment? How do other people do all this?" All these questions spin through my head time and time again. It usually leads me to feeling anxious, almost like I'm drowning- like we can't move forward with our life or really start living life until our debt is paid off. I guess it basically boils down to the fact that I've been feeling anxious about money, jobs, and our current living situation. The Lord is always faithful though and he always knows to give us the right reminders when we need them.
Today the Lord reminded me that first of all, all of our money is His. We are just stewards of His money. He promises to provide us with what we need and doesn't promise us any more. He reminded me that anxiety is a result of envisioning the future without Him and the best defense against worry is staying in communication with Him. When I turn my thoughts towards the Lord, I can think much more positively. If we must consider upcoming events or future events, we should follow these rules:
1. Do not linger in the future because anxieties sprout up like weeds when you wander there.
2. Remember the promise of the Lord's continual presence; include Him in imagery that comes to mind.
This mental discipline does not come easily because we are accustomed to being god of our own fantasies. However, the reality of the Lord's presence with us, now and forever more, outshines any fantasy I could ever imagine. How thankful I am to have a faithful God that is able to communicate with us and tell us the truth we need to hear!
And He said to His disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" - Luke 12:22-26
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. -Ephesians 3:20-21
Christmas with family is truly one of my favorite times of year. Each family experiences Christmas differently based on their own traditions, food, jokes, games, shared understanding, prayers, and love. That is what makes Christmas so special. My family is going through a big adjustment and we are learning a new way to do Christmas. This year we combined old and new traditions, food, and games on top of the same understanding and love we've always shared. It was a really sweet time. I'm so thankful we were able to see my mom and my dad and share our Christmas Eve with both of them. I captured a few memories throughout the day that I hope to cherish throughout the year. Here a few shots from our day:
