Reflection on our word for 2012

Every year we pray for a word for the year--something from the Lord to set as a North Star on the compass of life, or a theme to focus on/live by.  It's become so engrained in the fabric of who I am and who we are as a couple that I just get anxious and excited in an antsy kind of way to find out what the word will be each year!

It's thrilling, like unwrapping presents on Christmas morning when you're 9....it is such a gift that the God of the universe has something very specific and just for us each and every calendar year. He has things he wants to do in our hearts (and yours!) and in our lives and family and things he will sustain us through and things we will mourn through and things we will celebrate through. And at the end of all that in Dec of each year, the most amazing part is looking back at journals and devotionals and realizing how the word God gave us came to fruition and came to pass. This is my favorite part.


So I decided to do this in two parts:
Part 1: Reflection on 2012's word
Part 2: Word for 2013

Our word for 2012 was Unshakable, taken from Matthew 7:24-25
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock."

We basically heard God say, build your house on ME, the rock, and the storms of life will not overtake you. I will make you unshakable this year. 

WOW, okay God! haha. I want to be unshakable, but the process of getting there...not so sure about that!

The rain did fall and the winds did blow and the floods did come in 2012.  That sounds depressing. I dont look back on 2012 and feel depressed, because it was a great year! But, we did face some HUGE trials and curve balls this year. Stuff that could shake you to the core of who you are and reek havoc relationally, like hurricane Sandy or Katrina.

Both things I'm talking about center around our families and I'm not in the place to go into detail of the events, but, believe me I can honestly say that the storms came.  And as we held fast to the Lord and kept building our lives on him and staying in our word and prayer, we came out of this year a little more unshakable than before.

I am a stronger woman after this year. Zach is a stronger man after this year. And we are a stronger couple; more sure of who the Lord is, who we are, and how powerful he is. 

We saw some things end in miracles and restoration, and we saw some end in dissappointment and devestation.  But, through the trials and trenches of this year, we can point back at the battles and really say that "yep, you stayed true to your word, we're a little more unshakable, God."

It's 2013 and God's turning the page to a new chapter and giving us a new word, but our word and what God did in 2012 will continue to build my faith and be a strong tower in life to remind me that with the Lord we will always be unshakable. We will weather the storms of life in victory and confidence because we will build our lives on the Rock.