"The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom." Deuteronomy 28:13
As the sun set on another incredible year, people exchanged
laughs about the crazy memories they’ve shared, they reflected on the loved
ones lost, new births celebrated and true loves found. They raised their
glasses in honour of all they have achieved and all they are going to achieve,
all their challenges overcome and their incessant battles won. As we look to Facebook
to remind us of our “highlights” of 2013, can I maybe just encourage you to
look at the lowlights which weren’t necessarily in the spotlight but have been
a lamp unto your feet to get you to where you are today. The little moments
that have shaped your heart to be bolder and more courageous, the moments that
have stretched you to trust more and to be content with the love that God has
for you. If I look at my year in reverse it has truly been the best year of
my life, in 2012 God showed me a bit of the world, last year God showed me a
bit of His world! I can honestly say that if you can’t sense God in the
sunlight, in the smell of the ocean or in the splendour of nature then it’s all
useless and the beauty of the world is without purpose.
Who knew that my travels wouldn’t end when I arrived home
from London on the 14th of December 2012, but that God had greater
travels in store for me, to take me to new heights and to push me beyond anything
I could have ever imagined, challenging me to rise above and beyond any
obstacle I had to face with surety that His love would be there to catch me when
I fall. As humans, love is just as much a necessity as water, light and oxygen,
I’m happy I’ve found a love that never runs dry, a love that glows in the dark and a love that makes me feel like I can breathe again, I found my hope and
love in Jesus Christ.
Here is a personal highlight reel of everything God has done for me in 2013:
My Job:
When I got back from overseas it was very, very tough trying
to get back into the design industry, I went to several interviews all posing
different problems, I was praying about it and wanted God to bless me with the
right job. I met up with my friend for sushi and she gave me the contact number
of the design agency her company uses and low and behold it was perfect, very
close to home and they were indeed looking for a new designer but haven’t
advertised the position yet. I went for the interview and got the job. During
my first 3 months I wasn’t really entrusted with any work so the boss decided
to cut my salary to half of what I was originally earning. For the first time
in my life I doubted myself as a designer but instead of giving up, I decided
to press into prayer and ask God every morning to bless me with more
responsibility and then deliverance, and so He did. Each week I got more tasks
and more clients and everyone was beyond happy with the work I was delivering,
I received an increase and come year end I was running campaigns for huge
clients. Sometimes God knocks you off your high horse so that you will become
dependent on Him and not on your own abilities. God kept reminding me that 2013
was a year of preparation, and that this job was an “in the meantime job” I
held onto God’s promise and now I’m lucky enough to be part of the Internship
programme at Hillsong Church next year. The company I worked at was amazing,
but I know that God has called me to do something even greater!
The Passing of My Uncle:
My uncle passed away at the beginning of the year, although
he was only an uncle through marriage to my aunt, the loss of his life was no
less painful. The family fought the good fight, we prayed and I fasted, and we truly
believed for a miracle, but unfortunately God took him home. Through the loss
of His life, the rest of my family gained life. We have not only become closer
to each other but we have drawn closer to God. The loss of my uncle made me
realise how desperately I needed to have God in my life which ultimately led to
my salvation, and for that I will always be grateful. You see sometimes we have
to lose the things closest to us to realise that inner strength can only be
found from the sacrificial love of our saviour.
Driver’s License:
After failing my drivers twice in 2011, having my learners
expire during my move to London in 2012, I was determined to make 2013 my year.
You see some people are gifted with the ability to drive, and then there is
me... frozen at the thought of ally-docking and pulling away on an incline. Not
having my license made it very difficult to serve at my church so I decided to
start this blog in the mean time. I made a promise to God and told Him that if
He gave me my license I would serve my heart out. God blessed me with my
license but because He always gives you more than you expect He also made it
possible for me to use my dad’s car in the evenings as my dad’s working hours
were shortened a week after I got my license. I now serve in Hillsong Kids and
run a connect group with one of my best friends, Tara. Can I just encourage you to get plugged in at
church during 2014, not only will you develop a deeper relationship with God but
you will start to see people the way God sees them, the more time you spend
serving and growing in fellowship with people the more you will love them and
have a deep desire to elevate and encourage them to become the best that they
can be. To love others and to be genuinely loved in return is one of God’s
greatest blessings.
Meeting New Friends:
Okay if you know me, or know me well, I’ve probably tried to
make you my best friend by smothering you in hugs, adding you on Facebook
and/or following you on Instagram. I don’t know why but I have an insane
obsession with meeting new people, I wasn’t always like this but it’s become a
habit of late. At the start of the year “I was just a small town girl, living
in a lonely world...” okay enough of my Journey rendition, but being part of
a huge church like Hillsong has its perks and its drawbacks. I found it very
difficult to make friends at church especially when everyone already knew each
other. After I was saved, I felt very alone, I didn’t really want to party hard
anymore but I didn’t have a different group of friends to just chill with when
my other friends were out partying, but after weeks upon months of prayer I met
some amazing girl friends at Encounter the youth conference and as they say, “The
rest is history”. Now I have the amazing Blackpanndjat, 4Shore and my connect
girls, yes we name our girl groups because we cool like that. God still
continues to bless me with amazing new friends all the time and this continues
to be God’s greatest blessing in my life.
Favour is yours for the taking, you just have to be willing
to acknowledge and accept the blessing. People often use the term, “Everything
happens for a reason” to justify the so called failures in their life, but we
sometimes forget that all our decisions should be within reason and that things
will work out according to His reasoning no matter what silly mistakes we’ve
made or what silly mistakes we’re bound to make. Let’s be sure to make 2014 a
year of reason, to guarantee that only the best fruits are produced during each
season. May you continue to draw close to God no matter what circumstances you
are faced with, this is the only way I can promise you a prosperous year ahead!
Can I encourage you to start your year off on the right with the How To Maximise Your Life Devotional by Ps Brian Houston.
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