To walk through the unknown with the All Knowing by your side...

It’s the last month of 2014, and I can hardly believe it’s here. I look back and I think, “What did I accomplish this year?” And the truth is, I can hardly remember the year. It went by so fast that I can’t remember if the things that come to mind happened in 2014 or 2013… or 2012. My mom warned me about this. She told me that once you add kids to the mix, it becomes a blur. Well, no kids have been added to the mix and it still feels like a blur. Like time is passing too quickly and that I can’t get accomplished the things I need to. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never get it all done. But, then again, who really does?

 

You know, I remember when the days were slower. I don’t know why they speed by so quickly now. I don’t know if that happens with age or if it’s technology. I’d like to think the latter. The more technology we have, the faster the time flies. Probably because we’ve got too much to keep up with and only one brain with which to do so. And I find myself longing for time to slow down just a bit. For the days to not fly by. For the years to take their time. And then I remember that it wasn’t too long ago I was wishing my time away.

 

2012 was such a monumental year for me. A true Cinderella story, my friends. One of those stories that starts out with despair and ends with incredible joy. The only difference is that we can predict where fairy tales are going. We can’t quite do that for our own tales. We just wake up each morning and walk through our day, having an idea of what we think will happen. And maybe 2012 was such a great year because I lived the year without expectations. I just lived it as it came. I made no plans. I had no ideas about what was next. I just took life as it was handed to me, one sweet piece at a time. And it has been the year that I have since used as the plumb line, the measure. The year that I hold up and compare to all of the others. Because for that year, I accomplished much. Really, I should say that the Lord accomplished much through me. And sometimes its hard for me to not live in the past and feel it overshadows the present.

 

The truth is, I like to go from one big thing to another. I like the big milestones in life, but I feel myself falling back into the monotony. I don’t know how to keep from it. How do I keep from settling back down into the same routine? How do I keep myself from becoming content and complacent? Because it’s really easy to do that. It’s easy to sit back and let life pass you by until you look up and realize you’re a few years down the road with nothing but age to show for it. I look at our college kids that we mentor and I think to myself, “You guys are living the adventure, and it’s just about to get real.” You’re staring into the face of the unknown and as scary as that can be, it’s somewhat thrilling. Because the unknown is packed full of potential, of possibilities, and I think about how many people are living out my 2012 right now wishing they could just get to the end.

 

This year has been a 2012 year for many, and a lot of people are about to head into their 2012. It will be that year that changes their lives forever. It will be the year that they never forget. It will be the very year that is etched into their minds. They’ll think back on it. Reflect on their days. And it will probably be one of the hardest years they’ve yet to face. But I hope that it will become one of their best years. That Jesus will use it to refine them. That He will use it to draw them close to His side. Because, strangely enough, staring into the unknown, understanding that you’re going to walk through it with the All Knowing, is comforting. And it’s not the worst thing. It’s really not. It’s probably one of the best. Hard, yes, but it will be unforgettable. Because one day, you’ll back and when you reflect on that time, you’ll see Jesus and that’s what you’ll remember the most.

 

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12