For the last few years in the days following Christmas, I try and take an inventory of the previous 12 months. A week or so full of review, digging into what I happened upon and what happened upon me. I spend some time asking the Lord to draw out memories, circumstances, conversations, and decisions that He used to shape me that year.
Most questions I’ve been asking for years, but it seems that every new year the Lord brings me a deeper question, of which the answer needs to be uncovered, excavated. On one hand, it is sometimes the most difficult thing to do, especially if I have to enter back into painful moments that stretched me. But digging in, climbing back into decisions, situations, and remembering how things played out allows us to see, not only how we were in it, but how we can transform from it. And on the other hand, the Father never fails to help me see how very present He has been in and through all of it: the hard times, the easier times, the heart-breaking, and the joyful.
The practice of reflecting encourages me and reminds me that our God is never far from us, and while we aren’t always aware of His plans, they are His plans and they are in action. Because it has been a little tool that has helped me, over the next 7-10 days or so I’ll be sharing the questions with you, in hopes that you’ll also reap the benefit of reviewing God’s movement in your own life; how He is shaping and transforming you, how He is using your transformation for His good and glory. The questions aren’t deeply profound, they aren’t sourced from some intensely spiritual book. Simply questions that cause me to pause, reflect, give thanks, and grow forward. Because, why would we want to waste or miss a single moment of what He’s doing?
What is one remarkable thing God has done with you, in you, and/or through you this year?
Our minds are fickle and can play tricks on us. Because we are all motivated by different things (what do I mean by that? See my Enneagram info here), if we aren’t careful, we might answer these questions out of a motivation. These aren’t questions that need to be shared on your insta, with friends, or anyone else. Of course, if that’s how you process, by all means, do! But these are questions provide an opportunity that can help bring you back to the Lord, fine-tune your vision to see how He moves and what He is doing with you, and encourage you as you journey over the next year. So here’s the thing with these questions, you’ll want to answer them as truthfully as possible. It might take days to do so. Don’t rush. Don’t do a disservice to yourself. Sit, reflect, see.
If you look a little closer, this is actually a three-in-one question. “With you” refers to how He has used you to transform His Kingdom this year. What is one remarkable thing He did with you to grow His Kingdom? This could be within your family, within your community, within your church body. Try and answer this question thinking about how He used your head/mind this year.
“In you” refers to your spiritual and emotional and relational growth. Try and answer this question thinking about how He shaped your heart this year. What is one remarkable thing God has done in you spiritually, emotionally, relationally?
“Through you” refers to what God did through you to impact or change a specific person. It feels a little uncomfortable to answer this one, oftentimes pride and ego show up, but here’s the thing…It’s not about you. It’s about how you allowed God to use you to transform His people around you; He gets the glory. It might be helpful to ask a close friend to help you see more clearly what God did through you this year. Try and answer this question thinking about how He used you as His hands/feet this year.
I’m a dominant type 5 on the Enneagram. For as long as I can remember, I have always felt completely incompetent, as though I could never do something successfully, as though I never have enough information and that any information I do have might be wrong. I’ve held a number of “jobs”, served in a number of ways, but deep down, I have almost always felt an inability, a disqualification.
This year, God showed me otherwise. In growing my faith and understanding of just how beautiful Jesus is as my Qualifier, I’ve been able to release age-old habits which have held me back from pursuing my own transformation and God’s calling. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle with them daily, and the truth is, by my own striving alone, I am unable. But with a deeper knowing that it’s not by my effort, but by God’s hand and Jesus’ sacrifice that I am where I am, I am able to trust more fully that Jesus is enough for me. God called me here and Jesus qualifies me.
Four or five years ago, I had a fleeting vision. I don’t often get these, in fact I might say that this is the only vision I’ve really ever had. It even seems a little ridiculous to me, but even in all my investigation and pondering, I can’t believe that it wasn’t a glimpse from God. I saw myself, on a platform, standing over people and speaking something to them. The vision lasted mere seconds. I remember thinking, “What in the world?” I didn’t know what to do with it at the time, I didn’t really understand what it meant or what it was. I couldn’t see how, in my then-present circumstance, this was a possibility. I tucked it away and forgot about it.
A few months ago I was in a conversation with a friend. I can’t remember what we were discussing but, somehow, that vision came to my mind. I gasped in wonderment.
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
Habakkuk 2:3-4
but the righteous shall live by his faith.
God is in the business of doing things, much of it unbeknownst to us. We fly through life and can miss the smallest of movements that change the direction we’re headed. Over the last few years, the Spirit at work in me has been helping me to live by faith, not by anything I could muster on my own. Training me and equipping me for righteousness, He was pruning me, shaping me, transforming me…priming and preparing me. He was also planting a church, gathering its people, driving down roots…growing something beautiful.
This year, the remarkable thing God did with me was change my mindset to press into and trust Him more, that I don’t have to lean on any fleeting worldly wisdom, but I can stand firmly and confidently on the unshakeable Cornerstone. I don’t know how it happened, but God’s grace called me into leading women in my church this year. Quite honestly, I have no idea what I am doing, but I trust that the Lord does. I see the fruit of my obedience to the Father when one or two or three different women choose to walk in what God is calling them to, because somehow He used the words I spoke to help them grow confidence and trust and faith. I trust that He’s surrounded me with saints who are following fast after His truth and grace, seeking His kingdom first. I trust that, even with all my inabilities and disqualifications, He is choosing to use me in this season to do something beautiful for the sake of His name, His glory, and His kingdom. What grace and privilege it is to stand fully surrendered to that, and to watch what He’s doing with it all. Remarkable.
He has done something remarkable with you this year, too. What is one remarkable thing God has done with you, in you, and/or through you this year?
I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for Question #2.
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