Strength. Joy.
These are my two words for this new year of my life. In case you didn’t know, I recently had a birthday last week. I left the age of 26, and entered in the new year of being 27. Now as an adult we all know that birthdays aren’t like they were when you were a kid. Some birthdays as an adult are exciting, but lets just say those “middle” years are kind of…well…they just kind of come and go. This was the first year celebrating my birthday as a mom, and to be honest, my child got a gift from me… on my birthday. If you are a mom, I bet you can relate. Giving my child that big Winnie the Pooh stuffed bear at the Disney store brought me joy. So happy birthday to me! Ha! Anyways, it was a little bit of a rough start to 27, because for some reason God decided he needed to bless the state I live in with 11-14” of snow, in the middle of APRIL. My first thought was, “really God? did you forget to flip your calendar to the current month?!”. Yuck. So naturally the birthday plans got cancelled and rearranged, and it ended up being a low key birthday spent with my family. It was nice and relaxing, and I loved spending time with everyone, but by 6pm, after the candles were blown out, I was heading downhill with a sore throat and a fever. My head hit the pillow at 6:45pm on the night of my 27th birthday. Now I was in a funk, because I physically didn’t feel well, and mentally was a little blue. This is not a great start to my 27th year.
Last night I attended a women’s event at church with my mom and a few friends. It was so powerful listening to the speaker, and just worshiping and being surrounded in the presence of God. Do you ever feel like you just NEED that recharge button pushed on your soul? I sure did. I’ve stepped out and have taken a leap or faith this week, because I really feel God’s hand leading me in another direction. After last night, I feel a calm and secure hand on my back, reassuring myself that this is something that God was asking me to. I’ve chosen to leave my current position as a lead teacher in the infant classroom, where I have worked for over a year, and take a leap (literally across the hall) into a lead teacher position as a toddler teacher. Now, yes I have a degree in this field, and yes I love children, but it’s sometimes its hard to take that leap out of your comfort zone and your familiar, and start all over. I’m so blessed to work in a workplace that allows change and growth as a professional, and I feel that God has a plan for me, and this is my next step.
At the women’s event we were reflecting on what word God has for us this year. Without hesitation I instantly heard the words: strength and joy. There was no doubt in my mind that these were going to be my two words for my 27th year. Last year I went through a lot physically, emotionally, and mentally. I felt immense joy, and great sadness. Becoming a mom was one of the greatest days of my life, but some of what I experienced during labor and postpartum were challenging physically and emotionally. From all of that I’ve discovered how strong I really am. Most people see a confident women, but deep down inside I struggle with insecurities just like most of us do. I used to doubt my strength, but I’ve grown to embrace the strength I have, and not cut myself down. I’m capable of so much more. Joy is the second word that instantly popped in my head. I get such joy from God, my husband, my son, my family, and my job. I even get joy from blogging. As a parent of a young child, sometimes life seems overwhelming and all consuming, but I am committing to finding joy in the little things. I want to soak up all the joy of raising a child, even during the hard stuff. I refuse to let my joy be taken from me, it’s all mine and it’s here to stay!
I hope you all can find your words that God has for you this year. I’m looking forward to diving into scripture and explore my words deeper. If you haven’t heard God’s words for you, I would encourage and challenge you to take a few moments today and listen to what God is saying to you. Ask him for your words. I would love to hear what your words are for this year of your life! Feel free to comment below and we can share the exciting things that God is doing in our lives.