Lessons Learned in 2012

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.” Jeremiah 17:7

After knowing the Lord for years now, the last thing I thought I would “learn” this year was to trust in Him. Of course, I understand that trusting in the Lord should be something that continues to grow over time, but to the degree which I’ve come to trust in Him this past year, I could never have imagined. 2012 will be a year that is forever etched in my memory as the year that God called me to step out of the boat, onto the water, and meet Jesus there. This is the year that I came to the conviction that trust requires a fixed gaze on the one who calls you out onto the waves. I must never take my eyes off of Jesus. This is the year that I’ve experienced the blessing that obedience provides.

A little over a year ago now, I founded Neue Thing, a ministry geared to reach women of all ages and backgrounds, to equip women to know and love God’s Word, to walk in obedience to His Word, and to live lives of freedom in Christ. I’ve experienced God’s hand at work all around me from the moment that I finally decided to trust Him enough to step out of the boat of “safety” that I was in, a boat that would never have lead to anything but mediocrity, and to meet Him on the water. Beginning in January of this year, I walked my very first group of women through “Found On My Knees”, my first Bible study marking the journey from brokenness to blessing, and blessing is exactly what I received as I watched women come to Jesus, return to Jesus, and grow in their love for Jesus. That first six-week journey instilled within me an increasing passion to bring “Found On My Knees” to as many women as I could, desiring to see the life change I witnessed in that first group. God showed up again and again and proved Himself faithful. Through the lessons of brokenness and surrender, to trust and faith, and culminating in obedience and blessing, I witnessed the God of love captivate His daughters and set them free. What an honor it has been to walk alongside these ladies as we together have learned to become women who are found on our knees at the feet of Jesus in passionate pursuit of Him.

Along the way, I learned to trust Jesus. Yes, I have loved and trusted the Lord for years now, and I will never turn back, but God brought me to my knees this year with a new desperation for Himself. A need for Christ like never before has grown in me, and in the midst of that need, I have learned to take His hand and to trust where He leads. I don’t always want to. I don’t always understand the way He works, and I certainly don’t have all the answers to my “whys”, but one thing I have learned more every day this past year is that God is trustworthy, and He will never lead me to a place where He will not also accompany me.

I’m not sure if any of you need this word of encouragement today, but know this: the Lord equips you to go where He leads you. I never would have fathomed the opportunities that God has afforded me this year, nor the lives that He’s allowed mine to cross. I do know that each day that I chose trust over fear, faith over doubt, hope over discouragement, and obedience over myself, I found more of Jesus. It’s not by chance that the Bible so often references blessing as a direct result of trust and obedience to the Lord. They are linked for a purpose. Those who choose the path of trusting in the Lord find that it always leads to the pasture of His blessings.

Thank you all for being a part of this incredible journey with me this past year. Whether this is the very first post of mine that you’ve ever read, or perhaps you’ve been there from the start, thank you for joining me on this journey to be found on our knees at His feet. There is simply no place I’d rather be than right here, next to you, seeking our Savior and King. You are loved. As we wrap up 2012 and look to what 2013 may hold, let us never forget the places that God’s faithfulness has brought us through, and let’s praise Him for it!

What lesson has 2012 taught you?