2019… you are right around the corner. I can feel you creeping up on me; sometimes you peek your head out, so you can get a quick glimpse of me and how the new year will be for us. I am anticipating the new year, which means another year I get to grow.
As the new year is creeping up, 2018 is becoming like a sweet friend that I want to catch up with and reflect on our time together. I find myself amazed at the growth that took place this past year. So many things happened, I’ll name a few:
I graduated college, I went on the World Race, I lived in Africa for three months, and so much more.
This time of year is always a beautiful, peaceful time for me, but it can also be really hectic. People scramble around to find New Year’s Eve plans, come up with resolutions, and see if they can get a new year’s eve kiss. But right now, none of that really matters to me. What matters to me right now, is that I am present. That I am living. That I am on a crazy journey called life, and sometimes I forget to stop and smell the roses. I forget to stop and gaze at the sights around me. The people I meet. The experiences I am having.
Somehow somewhere in this life, the gift of being present was lost. I think humanity lost it awhile ago because people seem to always be striving for something. I wonder if people stop to admire the little gifts God leaves us in the moment. If people slow down to admire the fluffy clouds in the sky or maybe the stranger who smiled to them a few minutes ago.
I wonder. And I wondered some more until I decided to try an experiment.
This past month in Zambia, I read the book “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. It’s a beautiful book about how this woman finds God in little things she often overlooks in her day to day life. She started a gratitude journal where she literally kept track of gifts that God gave her, hence the meaning of the title. This journey she started on ending up changing her life. She met Jesus in her day to day life, and even began to notice how she felt FULLY alive.
After reading the book, I wanted to start my own gratitude journal because I sensed I needed to slow down. I started this journal back on December 16, and as of today I have two hundred gifts. Two hundred gifts that the Lord gave me, and I thanaked Him for it.
As the year comes to a close, I am reminded that I just need to be still. To just be. To be with God. And this little gratitude journal is starting to change my life. It’s helping me to be present, and enjoy the journey I am on.
As we celebrate the ringing in of the new year, remember to enjoy the present and give thanks to God. He is everywhere after all.
In his love,
Julia
