I have been reflecting over the difficult year of 2015. 2015 had some of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced and some the greatest moments I’ve ever had. Last year was full of scary times and scary choices. I am choosing to look at 2016 as Full of Promise.
Sara and I were driving to school one morning and we saw a beautiful double rainbow that arched across the entire sky with billowy clouds hiding the center. Sara snapped some pictures and one of those pictures is the featured image for this post.
I recounted how God promised Noah He would never flood the earth again and gave the rainbow as a sign of that promise. The rainbow reminds me of God’s promises. In Romans 8, He promises “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” The promise is that in the end, when it’s all said and done, it will be for my good in Him. The lessons of 2015 I will take with me for the rest of my days.
Probably the greatest challenge was Kurt’s cancer diagnosis. It came in November of 2014. I wrote about it in a post entitled, How My Husband Getting a Cancer Diagnosis Has Changed Me. If you would like to read it, just click on the title. Then, in January we went for an appointment with the oncologist. That appointment sent a bolt of fear through me that pretty much took up residence in me until September.
Throughout the year, we did everything we could to prepare for the worst. We got a will, which we should have already had! If you don’t have one, get one. We talked about how I will live without his income. We talked through his wishes for a funeral. We changed our vacation plans to visit his family in California for the Nichols Family Reunion. On the way to California we stopped by Hoover Dam and spent the night in Vegas. We had fun as a family. Kurt and I took a week long vacation to New York City. That has to have been the best week of my life. We were like two teenagers without a care in the world, I loved it! Kurt did natural treatments to fight cancer and made changes to his diet.
In September, I took the fear, and the worry, and the despair, and the what ifs, and gave them to Jesus. I reached a place of acceptance. I gave it all to Him. This year the biggest lesson or reminder I worked through is that it’s all about Jesus. He is the only thing that matters. In church, during communion one Sunday in September, I surrendered it all to Him. I told Him, I was okay with letting go of Kurt. If the best for me and the girls was to live without him, then I would not just accept but embrace God’s best for me.
In the late summer, we learned Kurt had a spot on his eye. We waited while the insurance decided whether or not he could get an MRI. Finally, in November, Kurt went for an MRI of his eyes and brain to look for cancer. As I sat in the waiting room, the fear came back and I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I picked up my phone and sent three texts, one to my sister, one to my dear friend, Robyn, and one to my pastor asking for prayer. Calling on the body of Christ was just what I needed. They went to prayer for us and within a few short minutes I felt the peace that passes all understanding wash over me. As we were driving home, Kurt’s phone rang, it was the doctor, the results were negative. Kurt does have a tear on his retina, but compared to cancer metastasizing, we count it as a blessing. In fact, it appears to be healing itself.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. There were other challenges and victories throughout 2015. I had set lofty goals for 2015, click here to read them. I met most of them and feel accomplished as I look over that list knowing the year we had and the things we did. Yipee! That’s a good feeling. Some of the goals I didn’t even come close to meeting. I think I got a little over zealous, but I would rather be over zealous than not even try.
Here are my goals for 2016:
Personal: spend time daily in God’s Word and take several personal retreats.
Marriage: continue to date once a week, read 3 marriage books, and plan a weekend getaway for our anniversary.
Family/Parenting: continue family date nights, be intentional about having fun with the kids, read a devotional each morning, pray in the car on the way to school with the girls, and teach the girls to cook this summer.
Health: walk with the girls, be more consistent with my stretches, and lose 10 lbs.
Professional: take 3 on-line courses for my certification, write a devotional eBook, and plan out blog entries for one month at a time.
Financial: save to paint the house, continue to stick to a budget and use cash envelopes.
Home Management: start an herb garden, stay one month ahead in both meal planning and my outfit planning, and organize the house this summer.
That’s it. I am looking forward to a great 2016 Full of Promise!
