2021 Recap

Greetings all! 

I pray all is well with your souls. Seeing as how it's been a while since I last posted a recap, I think now is the perfect time to do it! I know that these recaps are never extremely interesting but they are part of my life and I enjoy sharing how the Lord is working in me. You just never know who you are going to encourage! Also, a wise woman once told me to keep track of things the Lord does in your life. Whether that is an answered prayer or a special event, write it all down. So that is what I am attempting to do here.

January: I'm going to be honest. I wasn't in a good place in the beginning of 2021. Every day was a struggle for me. I fought an invisible enemy that threatened to choke me out. Work was depressing. Life was harder than I wanted it to be. My hope in any kind of future had been shattered by my own false expectations and lack of a firm foundation. But God in His mercy and patience, pulled me out of that dark place and brought me into His marvelous light. It took me a while, but I slowly began to move forward and get my head in the right place. Saying that you trust God and then actually trusting Him are two very different things that I was failing terribly at. I cannot even begin to express how grateful to God I am for His patience with me. 

"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments." Psalm 119:176 (emphasis added)

February: As normal, I begin the year with a 5k on the beach. This year I ran more than I did the year before and I always take that as a goal achieved! I like to try and start the year off with a activity like this one. Plus it's always for a good cause.

March: "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8  I associate this particular verse with the month of March because I truly did taste the goodness of the Lord.  For a long time my prayer was that God would bring godly brothers and sisters into my life (not to say that I didn't have any, because I did. I had wonderful, godly people in my life. However, I craved those who were in similar seasons of life).  For years I cried out to the Lord, asking Him for just something. The Lord heard me and gave me abundantly more than I asked for. At the end of the month my siblings and I started attending a Friday Fellowship. We get together and eat, play games, memorize Scripture, and fellowship. I had no idea just how much I needed this group of believers. Not only have I made great friends, but I have been encouraged and sharpened (Proverbs 27:17).  That is what my soul has needed. O how good the Lord is!

April: This is always a busy time of the year for us. I, along with my sisters, end up house sitting for about a month. We stay busy with work and don't have much of a social life outside of that, lol.

May: This month was jam-packed! My brother, sisters, and I ran/hiked 6 miles, we ran a Mud Run with our dad, went kayaking with some friends, did our annual Holmes Creek trip with large group of people (we only had one canoe tip, so it was a success!), and got to visit a place that holds tremendously sweet memories. We had no idea at the time, but it would be the last time we would see a dear friend of ours at this place. He and our brother used to do this hilarious skit way back in the day. They became famous for it. Well at this reunion (that's what this gathering was), my brother and friend reunited and did the skit, much to everyone's pleasure. The crowd loved it. As I look back on it now, I am so incredibly grateful to God for that time. It's odd how that happens, isn't it? In that moment, none of us would have ever guessed that just months later, our friend would be gone. The Lord's timing in everything is always perfect, even in this. I am just grateful that I will always have those memories. My nieces will always have those memories as well. Watching them watch their daddy and his friend do their funny bit is a precious memory I will have for the rest of my life. Thank You, O Lord, for that.

June: It's funny now that I think about it, but there are moments when I literally cannot remember what I did during certain times of the month. Like June. I don't really remember doing anything different than our normal routine. That's why you take pictures, people! They help with this sort of thing. :)

I guess I could share here that throughout the year the Lord began working on my heart. He began peeling away layers of myself that I never thought would be revealed. I had stored up quite a bit of fear and I didn't want to expose it. I go into more detail here.

July: I climbed the highest peak east of the Mississippi River! You can read about how the Lord stretched me during that trip by clicking here. Two of my sisters and I also traveled to Texas (love that state!) and attended our very first Girl Defined Conference. The Lord blessed me in many ways during that time and I came away FULL. You can read more about that experience here. As the summer heat continued to climb, my sisters and I also spent a good amount of time with our nieces at a refreshing splash-pad. I say it every year, but I love summertime! I love tank-tops, flip-flops, AC, and light skies at 7pm. So this year, I was grateful to experience a rather chilly, North Carolina summer, as well as a warm Texas, ya'll-don't-mess-around with-the-heat, summer. 

I try to tell myself that these are the moments that I'll miss. I already know that they go by so quickly. I can't believe that the first grand-baby will be seven years old soon. How does that even happen? Seven! I remember when I was seven years old. She is growing up so quickly it's hard to believe. Lord, teach me to savor these precious, fleeting moments! There are six grand-babies at the moment and in the spring, we will have seven! Again, I say, Thou O Lord, art good!

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...a time to laugh...and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

August:  Heaven gained a saint. A friend that my family knew for years went home to be with his personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While we still mourn the loss, we rejoice knowing that he is with the Lord and that one glorious day, we will see him again. This loss was the first one among my peers and there are days when I still cannot believe it. But again, I say we take comfort in knowing that our God is sovereign and that He can be trusted - even in the midst of our mourning. 

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

September: September was a fun month. At the beginning, we went hiking in Georgia with friends. We took a day trip and hiked the "Grand Canyon" of Georgia. Not only was it beautiful, but the time spent with friends, fellowshipping with one another, in God's creation, was something I'll not soon forget. I also did something that has been on my list of things to do for years: attend a football game. It may sound odd, but I've always wanted to experience the atmosphere of a game night. The sights, the sounds, the people, all of it draws me in - even though I know very little about the game itself! Hopefully, I can attend another one in 2022.

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." Jeremiah 32:17

October: I wanted to get back into doing a craft before bed to not only challenge me, but also to help me relax. So I decided to take a swing at cross-stitching. My mom found a pattern that I liked and so I found the ada cloth, thread, and set to work! It took me several weeks to complete, but I came away quite satisfied with the end result.  Another fun thing we did in October was host a Luau Party with our Friday Fellowship group. Leading up to that party, we had TONS of rain though. The weather was so bad, our road got completely washed out. There were many times when we thought that we would need to cancel due to the condition of our road. However, the Lord made a way and we were able to have our friends over and the party was a success! Everyone came in their best Hawaiian shirts and we later had a photo contest. The memories of that night will stay with me for a long time!

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

November: My brother, sister and I attended our first Mystery Dinner!  The theme took place in Italy in the early 1960's. We had so much fun learning our characters and getting dressed up. Because they fit the theme well, I was able to wear my grandmothers ring, watch, and pearl necklace. At times, I can be rather sentimental when it comes to my grandparents. As you can imagine I was quite pleased when I saw that her things went well with my outfit. My hat is off to all who put those types of mystery dinners together. Writing the storyline down/creating characters, all of it requires a lot of determination. Bravo to ya'll.

Something wonderful took place during this month as well. My baby brother got engaged! Through the amazing group of believers that we met back in March, my brother met his future wife! God is so amazing in how He works and moves. We are all looking forward to the joyous day when they wed! I will definitely blog about it so make sure to check back every now and again.

"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

December: My baby sister and I ran our very first Spartan! We did it under an hour and a half (we wanted to do it under 2). I blogged more about it here. We also attended a Christmas Ball at a local church. That was a lot of fun as well, getting to dance well into the evening! I like any excuse to dress up and dance. Other than that, December was a rather difficult month. Our dad got sick the week of Thanksgiving and was still recovering (at the time of me typing this out he is still not 100%). It has been a long, challenging road for him. I continue to pray for strength, clarity of mind, and rest for his body. Also, I lift up my mother. She has been by his side this whole time. 

So. That's 2021 for ya. Even more than all these wonderful blessings, I come back to the foot of the Cross humbled. The Lord is so good. Psalm 119:68 says, "Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes."   If there has been anything I have taken away from 2021 it has been this: I am so undeserving of His goodness to me.

One of my absolute favorite songs of all time is My Tribute. The beginning part goes like this:

How can I say thanks for the things

You have done for me

Things so underserved, yet You give

To prove Your love for me?

The voices of a million angels

Could not express my gratitude 

All that I am and ever hope to be

I owe it all to Thee

To God be the glory,

To God be the glory,

To God be the glory

For the things He has done.

Every now and again we will sing this at church and when we do, a tear always seems to escape my eye. What powerful words of praise! How can I say thanks? Words cannot express my gratitude to God for what He has done in my life. Has it always been easy? Ha. No. This year was more than challenging. What with the world upside down, the lack of righteous leadership in our nation, everything scared me and I lived with this suffocating fear of the unknown. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The Lord used that verse to release me from the bondage of fear that had held me captive for years. I still have difficult days, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

So yes, there have been hard days. In spite of that though, God is still good and has given me so much to be thankful for. The number one thing I am beyond grateful for is the hope that I have in Jesus Christ. God lovingly sent His one and only Son to die a horrible death on a cross for my sinful self. The Lamb of God willingly died for me. Me, a traitor who forgets Him daily, was given the gift of eternal life because of His obedience (Philippians 2:8). Ultimately, that is what I am thankful for. All these extras, they're added bonus! For all of it, I am unworthy, yet my Father gives good gifts.  So. I press on. I march on into the unknown with my Lord and Guide going before me. 

2022, I have no clue what will take place, but I know this: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1

Blessings and Happy New Year!

~Sarah

If you could pick your top three favorite highlights from 2021, would would they be?