Forgetting What Lies Behind… Press On!

Passage:
Philippians 3:11-16

Key Verses:

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,  but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  (vs.13-14)

“You had such a difficult year!”

“Oh, my, am I glad 2012 is over!”

“You must be exhausted!”

These are some of the words I have heard from friends and family, and many times have repeated them myself. I actually said I was going to shoot fireworks up into the New Year’s skies in celebration of the end of a very difficult year. I was excited to see 2012 slip away. Indeed, I have to say, it has been a year of many trials. Anyone who read my (very few) devotionals throughout the year was able to realize that. But as the end of December started to draw near and all the Christmas celebrations and events came to a close, the fireworks that were waiting for me in the garage were forgotten. I decided there was no reason to celebrate the end of this dark year. As difficult as 2012 has been, I started realizing how many blessings it brought about.

Reflecting back on everything that happened, I remembered something important. The memory of a spiritual insight given to me before the trials started and from which I drew much strength from during the course of the year:  

One Monday morning, eleven months ago, while studying the Bible, God impressed me to write down James 1:2-4 in a 3x5 card. I did not know exactly why, but knew I had to pay close attention to that passage. As I studied it, I highlighted the words that God impressed in my heart:

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

This passage was given to me one week before the cancer diagnosis. Like an omen, these verses were preparing me for the trials I was about to face.  The index card lay on the kitchen counter for a week. I was not sure what to do with it. Until the day I returned from the doctor’s office, after receiving the news. “Consider it all joy”, He whispered in my heart. And so for the next several months, I prayed for stronger faith. And stronger faith I received. As death took our family by surprise in late June, those verses were shouting out at me from the kitchen window, where I eventually posted the index card: “Consider it all joy, my daughter!” And as the days grew longer and tiring, as emotional and physical exhaustion took the best of my body, I prayed for endurance. And endurance I received. As a clay doll in a cartoon, molded by a child’s hand and later becoming alive, these verses popped out of my Bible, dancing with truth and life. I then understood, for the first time, deep in my soul, what James really meant.

He is My Rock, My Shield, My Fortress

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:2 (NLT)

To say that the trials of 2012 brought me closer to my Lord is an understatement. He has become to me, more than ever, all the things which the psalmist attributes to Him and more. As my faith was tested and trials became harder and the pain deeper, I poured my soul before Him and read His Word like never before. And so, holding on to my Lord, I was able to endure each trial. As He spoke to me and His love became so real, I worshipped Him with more intensity. Gratitude flooded my soul. Joy took over my pain. Not joy as the world knows, but rather the joy that a person can only find in Christ. The joy of being one with Him. The joy of knowing that you are in the center of His will. The joy that silences the world and opens up heaven. The joy of the Lord became my strength (Psalm 28:7.)

As The Ball Fell…

I like the tradition of the ball drop in New York’s Time Square. My husband and I have watched it every year since I moved to this country. There is something about watching the last seconds of the year slip away. This symbolic tradition has always brought me mixed feelings, mostly nostalgic. Through the years, the countdown has brought me so many wonderful memories and often tears to my eyes, as I recalled moments that would never happen again… such as my wedding day, my babies' first steps, an unforgettable trip to Europe …

But this year, December 31^st was different. I realized, on the very last day of the year, that this was a monumental year for my faith. I will not lie: there were no nostalgic feelings as the ball dropped. There were not many happy moments to remember. Not a single tear did I shed. But I realized, while watching 2012 slip away, that my faith has become stronger than ever because of the valleys I crossed. I realized that I trust my Lord today more than I did twelve months ago. I realized that I know Him more intimately than ever before. And that’s when the words in Philippians 3 started playing in my head: “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  

What happened next was intuitive; I certainly did not plan it. My heart started to beat faster with a sober, yet joyful feeling of anticipation. And so I started blessing everyone and everything in my life, with the passing of each last seconds of the old year. While watching the ball drop and the numbers go down, I prayed:

59 …. Bless my husband

58… bless my children…

57… bless….

…

30… Bless my finances…

29… Bless my friends…

…

10… Bless my health…

9… Bless my family’s health…

8… Bless…

…

1… 0 … Bless the Lord, oh my Soul!

I don’t remember each name or each blessing, but I know sixty blessings poured out of my heart, to the people and things in my life. And as the last second of 2012 slipped away into the past and the “Happy New Year” wishes filled the TV screen, excitement flooded my soul.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds. But as the song says, we know who holds tomorrow. We know He is there and will never leave His children. With or without health, fiscal cliff or no fiscal cliff, regardless of what happens in 2013, I pray that you will be filled with the anticipation of great things to come. Only keep your eyes on Jesus and let your feet follow the race He sets before you. Trusting that, at the end of this New Year, your faith will be yet stronger. And that you will know the Lord, yet more and more. And that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, your life will be used in amazing ways to impact the world around you.

Let me ask you this: Can you put a price tag on that?

I did not think so. It’s worth it all!

Happy New Year, everyone!