Renewal

     I've never been good at New Years Resolutions. In fact, several years ago I stopped making them at all because I knew I wouldn't follow through and then I would feel bad about not following through. So it was easier to just not make them at all! Last year, I had heard of people choosing one word to claim for the upcoming year. One word, I could handle one little word! 

   At this point last year, Stephen was starting a new job, I was still loving my job, the girls were growing and happy. We had done some grief work and were slowly sorting through it. It felt like we were in a season of renewal. RENEWAL! I happily claimed renewal as my word for 2014. I wrote it in several places around the house so I would see it and be reminded of it. I prayed it. "Thank you Lord for bringing us to this season of RENEWAL! Please continue to renew our family, our marriage, our relationships, our lives."

   Isn't it interesting how we, in our "infinite" wisdom feel that we are experiencing our present and we know about our past, so we have a pretty clear idea of our future?  One of my favorite verses my entire life has been Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a good future."  For years I read this, prayed it and recited it focusing on the word PLANS. 2014 helped me to focus more clearly on the most important word. 

I. I know the plans I have...

     And boy did I learn that. 2014 did bring renewal in a mighty way. But it didn't bring renewal in the way I had in my mind. No, it brought renewal in a long broken way. 2014 was the year that broke a man, broke our marriage and almost broke our family. At the end of April, we were broken to a point we had never been before. Hearts were broken, our life was broken, and it didn't look like it would go back together very well. But here is where God spoke the words "I know the plans I have for the Links". All we had to do was trust and follow him. We picked our broken selves up from the pile of rubble we were in and started trusting Him one day at a time. One LONG, SLOW day at a time. One HARD, HEARTBROKEN day at a time. One FEAR FILLED day at a time. One day turned into two and then three and four. Every day got a little easier in its own way, but daily we were reminded of how broken our lives were, and how broken we were. But I sit here today, with broken pieces in my heart, and declare that renewal has come to the Link family! It wasn't pretty, it wasn't on our time or how we expected it, but it has come and we could not be more grateful! We continue following and trusting Him, one day a time, knowing that HE knows the plans HE has for us. Thank you Lord for your perfect, broken, ugly, hard, renewal plan.