I’ve never actually seen my parents drink, which is okay, just as it would be perfectly okay if alcohol was common place in my home.
I opened up the fridge a few days before launch and was alarmed to find a bottle of pink wine on the top shelf. Confused, I asked my 16 year old brother if it was his, and through his laughter he told me that he had seen mom bring it home after work one night. We harassed her about it for a few days, convinced that she had started hitting the sauce under the stress of losing me for a year.
New wine.
Jesus made me new this year. I experienced all parts of the trinity in a new way, my soul put to fires and emerging a little more like my Christ. I know that not everyone who reads these blogs has access to my social medias, so I wanted to share my last caption of the World Race:
This year I took a leap towards the woman I am supposed to be. I have learned to balance the righteous yearning in my heart with the gentleness that given wisdom requires. I have learned that injustice and unwholesomeness are called out because of genuine love, not to boost my own platform. I know what love requires. I know what breaks my heart, but more importantly, what breaks my Father’s heart. I know that I am called Daughter, not bound to issues of my past or fears of relapsing attitudes. I know that joy IS a choice, and thankfulness in all circumstances is my only hope. I know that the Holy Spirit in me is capable of much more than I’ve given Him credit for. I know that no words spoken to me in my less Christ like days about who I was have to stick. I know that I don’t need gold stars from the world. I know that prayer needs to be an on my knees sacrifice everyday for people I love, and that the power in it is an incredibly large untapped resource. I have learned that God’s will for me is to love Him and not keep that love to myself. I know what sacrificial love looks like, and that doubt and skepticism are death to the body. I know that being a woman of peace doesn’t mean lying down in the face of trials, and that the good fights must be fought. I know that the entirety of my life’s purpose is to make the name of Jesus famous by both my word and action. I have learned that I am the woman at the well, and have no place judging others that sit in that same seat. I may not have completely figured out who I am, but I know who God is, and I know he’s going to keep chasing me for all my days.
This year was impossibly hard. I cried a lot, and there were probably more bad days that great ones. It was SO sweet, so worth it, because so much goodness came from the good and bad days. It was only possible because I had Jesus, and he completely wrecked me and pieced me back together with such g r a c e. I wish I could tell you all of my stories of how my God showed up and changed me every single day. Plans are in the mix for a story night, but if that doesn’t come to pass or you’re not able to make it, please reach out to me- I would love to tell you some of what he’s done.
In the crushing,
In the pressing,
You are making new wine
In Christ,
g
