The Year of Jubilee - Steadfast in Hope

I'm back.  I took at three vacation from virtually everything while my husband was home this holiday season.  It was so great.  He's back at work this morning and I think he's ready and even looking forward to going back for a rest!  He hardly rested here, that's for sure.  We had some goals for the house and we accomplished nearly all of them.  Even though it isn't 100% complete, we finished the big things and he can do the rest on weekends this winter.  It was a LOT  of work.

The main goals were to get the drywall sealed, once and for all, painted and then trim on the windows and doors.  All sounds simple enough, but it required leveling floors, sealing all the spaces above the drywall, which meant lots of electrical rewiring, tons of mudding and taping, hours of sanding......but this weekend most of it came together....the base coat of primer is on, the windows have trim and the furniture is back in place.  It looks great.  Still missing flooring, the final coat of paint and baseboards (comes after flooring), but to us it looks like a new space.  We were even able to use some material from the house we built years ago.  We figured we saved ourselves many thousands of dollars by doing it ourselves. 

What was really nice was the time off with him wasn't all work.  We were able to take in some really nice Christmas events together and then many nights we just hung around together in the very messy space, everyone enjoying being together.  I don't feel like the time went too fast or too slow.  It was just amazing.

As we sat around last night for our last night of the holiday, we reflected on how much 2019 could be different for our family.  We might have another son leave home depending on what happens with flight schools.  We might have a son leave for Africa.  Our daughter is now working further away and wants to live closer to where she works.  It's going to be interesting to see how the family dynamics shift and change this year.  We knew it was pretty special to have all of us in one room, almost all packed on one couch, knowing it won't be like that forever.  Makes me kind of sad.

Yesterday the pastor talked about the church from Thessalonica and how they were known for their "steadfastness of hope".  That is my struggle sometimes.  I'm not sure if I will be remembered for that as I can so easily go into hopelessness.  This leads to me being sleepless sometimes as I think about my children, their futures, are they ready, did I do enough, watching their influences, then being worried about their influences.....it makes me literally get out of bed just so I can pray.  But hearing that reminder yesterday always helps to put it back in focus.  I need that steadfastness of hope. He said it was like a military term where it is a hope unmovable, fixed, ready for battle.

I have many dreams for our 2019 year.  I'm calling it the Year of Jubilee (that's even my password for my Nike app to help me regain my fitness for this year!).  Unbelievably, don't tell anyone, I'm turning 50 this year.  It seems impossible.  So I have health goals (I'm in a major competition with my husband right now - who can lose the first 10?  The kids have bets on me.  Fabulous at 50?!)  I have goals for my kids (always trying to get them married!).  School goals - just need them to get finished!  Home goals - finish the renovations once and for all!  Hospitality goals - trying to have lots of people over.  Spiritual goals - daily reading and true application.  Discipleship goals - keep on mentoring whenever possible.  Speaking goals - have some neat opportunities this year.  Ahhhh....so many goals, but it all depends on how steadfast my hope is.  That really needs to be my number one goal, to trust the Lord for all these things as the year is out of my hands.

Paul says of the Thessalonians, "for your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.  For they themselves report...."  I want my faith to be like that, so well known, that "reports" have gone out.  So well known that no one has to ask or try to find out if I had faith in God.  News of my faith will have traveled like wild fire everywhere.  There are days when my faith is like that, but then other days when I think it is quite the opposite and I'm afraid news of my lack of faith would be what I would be known for.  So my prayer is that this year would be the year of hope, steadfast hope and that I would be fixed, unmovable, unshakable in my faith. 

Our little health kick, that we do virtually every year, is always a good start as it is always a form of a fast in that food is at the core of it.  By depriving ourselves of the indulgences we typically take part in, we are forced to pray instead of eat!  Losing weight is always the bonus, but spiritual gain is actually what we want!

Well, I hear my 19 year old fake sobbing in the laundry room.  He has to start back to school today and he is NOT used to that after his long break of sleeping in.  He can't find socks.  Our washing machine supposedly got fixed yesterday after being broken this Christmas holiday!  But right after the tech guy left, it stopped working again.  So back to the laundromat today.....I better go help my kid find socks!

More tomorrow.....