Goals and Grief

So along with the new year comes many resolutions, hopes for a better tomorrow, ideas on how we are going to improve our lives. I have never been one to make resolutions or have life changing ideas that come up at midnight. However, I have had a nagging goal that I have never formally set for myself that finally bit me in the butt. I have set out to read the Bible in one year. I have NEVER read through the whole Bible. I have NEVER made it a habit to read the Bible every day. And therefore, I feel very ill equipt with the Word. I am in a wonderful small group through my church and I expressed this desire to them and the need that I have for accountability on this matter. They were more than happy to provide that for me. So I found a reading guide online that takes you through the Bible in a year and gives you what to read each day. You read from the old and new testament every day which keeps it interesting. I started this a bit late (not on the first of the year) but I am happy to report that I played catch up and am currently up to date and on track. I truly pray that I will continue this adventure and am excited to see what God reveals to me this year. I have already had several "ah-ha" moments when reading.



I have recently been surrounded by wonderful people in my life who are struggling with immense grief and hardship. These individuals have lost unborn babies, grandparents, and siblings. Loss that I cannot imagine having to deal with. The reading guide has been taking me through the book of Job and it has really put suffering into perspective. We all will suffer from loss or grief at some point in our lives...there is no question about that. What is most important is what we do with that suffering. Do we get mad at the world, mad at God and harbor feelings of resentment towards others who have what we want? Or do we take the experiences, the loss, the hardship and use it to better understand others suffering, to better ourselves, to learn and grow? In no way do these ideas lessen the hurt and pain. But they do offer a hope that there is a reason behind some of the horrible things that we go through in this life.



A few of the wonderful people that I mentioned above who are suffering from a terrible loss have let God's light shine through them during this amazing time. I have learned from them. I have been amazed by their strength...by God's strength holding them up. My prayer is that I constantly put my faith in God so that when the time comes for me to suffer, that I will suffer with joy in my heart, with God holding me up all along the way.



I guess that I would challenge all of you to set that goal for yourself that you have been putting off. Take a new perspective on a challenge that you are dealing with in your life right now. Am I letting this obstacle get the best of me and bring me down? Or am I going to learn from it and power through? Whoa...deep Nicole! Every once in a while I really do contemplate life and think. Doesn't show very often but here she is!!!