Lessons from 2016

Hey y’all!  I want to first apologize for making a terrible day 4 out of New Year Blog Week yesterday!  I didn’t think about how the surgery would impact how I was functioning for the rest of the day.  Thank you all so much for your prayers for my recovery; I’m feeling a little better today, so I hope this post is way better and more interesting than yesterday’s ;)

A few of you may remember that I did a “Lessons from 2015” post earlier this year for 2015.  Well, I thought that I would do it again for my New Year Blog Week!  The Lord has continued to teach me and remind me of His truths this past year, and these are just 11 things that He specifically has continued to engrain in me:

1. The Lord will still be King no matter whom the president is

2. Satisfaction does not come from people or possessions.  It comes only from God.

3. Pray about it as much as you talk about it

4. Gratitude is the key to true joy

5. God rewards those who glorify Him

6. When you don’t know something, be content knowing that God knows it

7. Your God-given assignment is not your goal.  Your goal is JESUS, and through Him that assignment will be accomplished

8. Each of us fits into a part of God’s plan in a way no one else could

9. We need to be aware of the “practice times” God gives us to grow (the mission trip this summer was a big practice time God gave me!)

10. If your life was the only “Bible” someone could read for a day, would they have a proper view of God?

11. When we have a negative view about something God gave us, we are doubting God’s goodness and essentially calling Him a liar (because the Bible says: James 1:17)

I only listed 11 lessons here, but y’all know that God is constantly teaching us. He is always chiseling away at us!  And sometimes that hurts.  The transformation He can make in us is radical, but it’s also painful.  Maybe the pain is so bad that you try to run from Him when He brings out His chiseling tools.  But I hope that you realize that no one can hide from God.  All He wants is what is best for you!  It hurts Him to see you in pain and suffering, just like it hurt Him to see His Only Son endure pain and suffering.  But He knows that it is best for you to feel that pain and suffering, if it means that you become more like Jesus Christ. 

I want to ask you a question here.  How many lessons from 2016 has God taught you?  

If you can’t number more than a few that may be an indication that you’re trying to run from God’s chisel.  You may be fearful, or stubborn, or even angry at God.  If you’re this person, I want to challenge you to do this: let go and let God.  He’s got you, He loves you, and He wants the very best for you.  Don’t run from His chisel anymore!  Let go of your stubbornness and let God transform you.  It may be painful and scary, but His chisel is divine, and it will make everything beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11)!

To the one who is happy and joyful to see the transformation that has taken place over this year in God’s chiseling room: take some time to thank the Lord!  Thank Him for the trials that turned out to be blessings in disguise.  Thank Him for being so patient and willing to work with someone who, you know, can still be rebellious sometimes and run from the chisel ;)  Thank Him for pursuing you and leading you back to His chisel room.  And as we go into a New Year, keep letting Him chisel away at you!

What are some of the lessons God taught you in 2016?

Do you have any personal examples of a time where you saw the effects of God’s chisel in your life?