2023

It's the last day of the year.

12.31.23

It's ending with gratitude.

2023 was not kind. 2023 was not glamorous.  2023 was not particularly fun.

It had it's little moments, but it was mostly filled with chaos, shock, grief, anxiety...

It was also filled with Jesus, hope, grace, forgiveness, faith, trust, great friendships, family and the most painfully rewarding of all:  growth; spiritual and otherwise.

I've never lived one day at a time like I have in 2023.  I don't see that changing in 2024.

One. Day. At. A. Time. We go into 2024.

At least 2024 has an extra day.   366 days to take One. At. A. Time.  

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:3-5

This verse has been the verse in 2023.  It will be my verse for 2024.   

2023 taught me that I can do my best today; and tomorrow is for tomorrow.

2023 taught me that I can do hard things.

2023 taught me that I cannot control others.

2023 taught me that I cannot take life for granted.

2023 taught me that I can because He can.

2023 taught me to love better.

2023 taught me to pray better.

2023 taught me to be grateful

2023 showed me who my friends are.

2023 showed me who my family are.

2023 showed me what it means to have Jesus carry you from one day to another when you have no idea what is ahead.

My prayer for you is that you will be able to face your challenges in 2024 with the confidence that in Jesus, you can take them on, you will grow and learn; you will be stronger and better off for them.  

God bless you, your family and your life in 2024!

Truth at 1 a.m.

 

Can't sleep.  Feeling unwell.  The stirring in my heart stirs.

Pondering TRUTHS at 1 o'clock in the morning.

What is THE truth?

Some terms that need defining so my thought process can make sense:

• Truth (noun):  The quality or state of being true;  That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
• Fact (noun):  a thing that is known or proved to be true.
• Opinion (noun): a view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
• Discernment (noun):  The ability to judge well.
• Ability (noun):  talent, skill or proficiency (high degree of competence; expertise) in a particular area.
• Feelings (plural noun):  an emotional state or reaction.
• Resilient (adjective): able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions; able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.

 

The world has two truths:  THE truth and YOUR truth.

THE truth is fact.

YOUR truth is opinion.

Discernment is an ability. That means it is learned, developed and practiced.  Being practiced means that one should have met truth and untruth and sought knowledge and understanding in various forms over a period of time.  In order to judge well, one must be exposed to real truths and sought knowledge and understanding about those truths.

“Feeling like a million bucks” doesn’t actually mean you are a pile of paper with numbers on it.  Neither does it mean that you are worth a million male deer. Neither does it mean that you are worth a million dollars.  If so, I would like to know the currency.  A million yen is 13,500 Belize dollars. Specifying the type of buck matters.

Feelings do not determine if a fact is true or not.

Sometimes, facts tend to trigger unhappy feelings.  Facts can be harsh.  “The truth hurts” sometimes.

We do not like hurt. We do not like facts when they hurt. But we can build resilience when there is hurt.

Truth. REAL TRUTH. Fosters growth: resilience.

Truth. REAL TRUTH. Fosters knowledge and understanding: discernment.

Resilience, like discernment, is an ability.  It is learned, developed and practiced.  You have met hard truths and sought to overcome harshness time and time again.  In order to spring back, you had to have been pulled back, pushed back, held back.

Accepting opinions as fact does not foster discernment. Opinions fog the lens of discernment.

Accepting opinions as fact does not foster resilience.  Opinions hinder resilience.

I encourage you to look for real truth. THE truth. Facts.

Learn to discern what is fact, what is opinion.

The truth hurts sometimes but just because it doesn’t match your feelings, or makes you “feel” sad, it does not mean that it is not true.

Not all things that make you “feel” happy are true either.

That’s why it is important to practice Resilience and Discernment.

 

The thing about truth that I find cool is that a truth does not stop being true because somebody says it is, or because somebody does not understand it, or because somebody doesn't like it.

1 + 1 is 2, even if someone “feels” like it should be 8. 

Truth is robust. Unshakable. Fearless. Truth does not change.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  We can trust truth. It is consistent, constant, never changing, never failing.

 

I hold on to this truth:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6