Step of faith
2022 was a year of stepping out in faith and out of our comfort zone. We faced many challenges as individuals, couple, and family. But we did it and we did it in unity. We wanted so much to change the way we lived, to be full of life, this precious life that God gave us 6 years ago. We took some big risks putting our trust in our heavenly Father, leaning on His promises. Aren’t we more precious than birds?
He is faithful
God showed up EVERY TIME, not in the way we expected, but subtly with grace and sometimes in astonishing ways. He showed us that He cares even about the little things. One day, we needed toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash, so we went to the store and bought what we needed. Then, the next morning, someone brought us exactly what we had bought the day before! I also remember a time when I was at an intersection with a lot of traffic, and it took forever to turn left. Instead of being impatient, I prayed and left the situation in God’s hands. Within five minutes, a truck driver stopped and waved his hand to let me pass! I was so surprised that I thought he was waving at someone else. I had never seen that happen at that intersection before! It just goes to show that God cares even about things that seem insignificant to us.
Character
It was also a year of character building. Many times, we wanted to quit. I remember someone said to us that during his 20+ years of ministry he only saw 20% of disciples making it, because of lack of character…
We did many things that were difficult for us because we wanted our character to model Jesus’. Character building is a lengthy process that gets refined with time, but the good thing is that our God is understanding, full of grace, and patient. However, we need to keep our hearts open and be willing to make the effort. One thing we’ve learned is that when you’re not ready to go the extra mile, to die to yourself, or to take a leap of faith and trust in Him, you can miss out on a lot of good things. These are the kind of things that create a powerful bond between brothers and sisters and our Father. If you want to see God do something amazing, get stretched. You don’t need to overdo it, just get out there and do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do.
We are living in expectation that our Father will do even more amazing things for us in 2023.
Peace,
Philippe