It is the last few hours of 2019 and I thought I would get on here and write a little bit. For all of y'all who decided to stay home and have a chill New Year's night, why not sit back and read this blog into the year! Also, this list is basically in order of what happened in my life this year and what I experienced. Soooo ya. Idk if that made sense but let's get into this!
1. Forgiveness does NOT Mean Friendship
I had a hard time with forgiving people because I thought it meant letting them back into your life, however, that is not the case. Some people are toxic to your life, and you are toxic to their life. Forgive them but love them from a distance. It does not matter how many years of friendship or the rich history you have with one another, if they are not helping you mentally, physically, emotionally, but most importantly, with your relationship with Christ, LET THEM GO! Do not allow the devil to guilt you into allowing them to remain in your life after you've forgiven them.
2. Don't be afraid to share your gifts
Your gifts are not yours. They are The Lords. He created and equipped you do do His work through those gifts. Do not be like the man with the 1 talent and hide it. Be obedient. Find ways to enhance your gifts and let them flourish. I can say this year I sang at church a lot more than I ever had AND I danced ALL year. I felt so great sharing those gifts with people because through those avenues I was also able to share the gospel.
3. Don't be afraid to let go. It's not yours to keep!
I realized I held onto a lot of people and situations that I needed to let go. It kind of goes with #1 but doesn't. We hold onto certain people and circumstances to feel as if we are in control. In the same breath we want God to bless us with the next thing. How can He give you what is best for your life when you are holding onto what is causing you stress, anxiety, and other craziness. This could be a job, a friendship, relationship, your fantasies of how you want your life to be, etc. We think we know what is best for our life, yet we did not create this world or ourselves!
4. Live Fearlessly for Christ!
Very self explanatory. I will say, this year, I've had so many opportunities to share my faith and defend the Bible by using biblical hermeneutics. Each time, however, I realized as I defended my faith, other Christians were silent or tried to silence me on. It became clear to me that not only was I speaking about Christ for the unbeliever, but also so the believe could see that this is important to do. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." If someone who is a New Ager, an Athiest, or a false convert (yes there are people who believe in a false Christianity), it is crucial for us to point them in the right direction, in love. We don't know how much time we have left on this Earth. Don't waste it by being afraid to share your faith. If you truly are Christian and you truly believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins, say it! Stay in your word and stay knowledgable about what's in your bible so you can properly defend and point people to Christ!
5. Talk about your ADHD!
I will do a whole blog post on this later but yes, I have ADHD. I was diagnosed when I was 19. I was so ashamed to talk about it because I didn't want people to judge me or look at me weird. That's when I realized I had to talk about it to educate people on what it is and what it is not. I even had to opportunity to go to the international ADHD conference to learn more about myself and I even sold a sweatshirt that has ADHD on it! I am finally learning to embrace this craziness called ADHD! It has been something I've wanted to erase and forget about. I realized that until I start embracing this aspect of my life, I won't be able to truly live out God's purpose and plan for me! Once I started opening up more, I had more and more people telling me how it has helped them cope and deal with their mental health issues. You never know who you can help when you open up about your trials and tribulations.
6. You CANNOT change ANYONE! You can't even change yourself!
Mannnnn! As much as you try to convince yourself that you are not trying to change a person, you are. When you want to them be the person that you see they could be, you are trying to change them. You created a version of them and YOU want them to be that version, however, that is not them! Whether that be a friend, significant other, or child, ask God to show you areas where you are trying to change someone. If that person is supposed to be apart of your life, the Lord will guide their heart to change. Which leads to my last point...
7. Wait on YHWH's timing!
Basically, a lot of these points are similar and are tied into waiting on God's timing... Anyway!
We want what we want when we want it! Fantasizing about want you desire you future to be or worrying about how something will pan out, is NOT waiting on God's timing. We don't even stop to ask God if this is sinful by the way we are going about doing it. We don't even ask God if this is His will for our lives. Even when we ask Him, we've already made up in our minds the answer we want, even if it goes against God. When we go ahead of God instead of waiting, we have become our own god thinking we know right from wrong. God is the creator of goodness. If we set the standard for goodness, what makes us think our flawed human, sinful brains know what is good for us? It can be difficult to wait, especially when it seems as though everyone is getting what you desire except you. You may even think you deserve it because you're being obedient and living for God. Remember, living for God is the least you can do. Just because you do live for Him, does not mean you will receive those blessings on earth. Some blessings we won't see until we have finished the race and gone into heaven. That can be hard to hear but it's true. God did not promise marriage and children for everyone. What he did promise was trials and tribulations along with Jesus dying on the cross for our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him. Pray and ask God to show you ways you are not waiting on Him and pray for the patience to do so.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!" -Psalm 27:14
Well, it is definitely 2020 in some parts of the country, but still 2019 here in Cali. I pray you all have a fantastic year and truly allow God to move through you. Be obedient. READ YOUR BIBLE so you know if your life actually lines up with God's word. I pray for you all to have a wonderful, Christ-centered 2020! See y'all later!
BYYYEEE!!
~Meghan A. Harper
"My soul finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him." -Psalm 62:5
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