2016 Wrap-Up

I know we're well into January with our resolutions and healthier eating, but I don't want to miss reflecting on the past year and what's transpired in our lives and hearts.

In a lot of ways 2016 was an ordinary year for us...no job changes, moves, or new kids. It was a really  good year overall. I had the opportunity to travel a ton, some with my family and some without. Both were good. I feel really thankful for my travel this past year...travel tends to help me to recalibrate and think in a different realm than I do when I'm in my normal environment. All of my year highlights were tied to my trips. A week in Doha with beloved sisters. A week in Asheville with Devin. Two weeks in Northern Michigan, which we still talk about all the time because it was just so, so good for our little family of four. And a fabulous long weekend in Mexico with my friends.

2016 was about settling into our surroundings. Deepening new relationships. Stabilizing (sort of?) in a new church and other new places like BSF leadership for me.

It was also a year of muddling through stuff that tends to surface when life is fairly normal and you're not just trying to survive through a lot of change, like we were in 2015. Both are necessary, I think, the survival modes and the restlessness that comes with normalcy. I keep thinking maybe someday I'll find a lot of rest and comfort in normalcy, but so far that doesn't seem to come naturally for me.

"Pain gives birth to the promise ahead" was a meaningful quote to me this year (from the song 'I Won't Let You Go' by Switchfoot). 2016 was big year for my personal development. Looking back on my almost 10 years of walking with Jesus, a few specific years stand out to me when circumstances and influential people pushed me to peel back a new layer of freedom. This year was one of them. But the process is painful, that's for sure.

"You possess your possessions or they possess you" (another Switchfoot song) was also an anthem of our year that, honestly, we're still trying to sort through. We both have felt frustrated with the reality of spending so much of our time maintaining our things (not necessarily stuff we buy, but even things like yard/home, etc), but also know you can easily become a slave to minimalism just as you can become a slave to your possessions. I don't really know what the Lord has for us with this yet, but I know the tension we both feel is from the Lord and something we need to keep pressing in to.

And clearly, the new Switchfoot album was definitely our favorite music that came out this year. :)

I'm thankful for another year of grace. And look expectantly to the new year...


5 comments:

Sara Huber said...

Good wrap-up for 2016. Always love reading what you write and makes me wish I did more of this myself...

sarah.flyingkites said...

beautifully written...

leah said...

such a great recap -- excited to see what 2017 has in store for your family :)

Linda said...

Loved reading your recap and thoughts....wish I could write and express myself as you do!:)
You did have a busy travel year to lots of great places!
I enjoyed the quotes- especially "pain gives birth to the promise ahead", an encouraging thought for the hard times of life.

Daveana said...

Sounds like I need to check out this new album! :) What a great recap of the year!