Find the Glow

I'm having those New Year's thoughts that come every January . . .

• What significant things happened in 2016?
• Have I changed this past year?
• Did I have any resolutions last year?
• Did I reach the goals that I set?
• What can I do differently in 2017?
• I'm ready for a change! New beginnings!
• Will another year be filled with the same old stuff?

Possibly the best, most exciting days of your life will be in 2017! Do you believe it? I get excited when I think of something new. We all were created to make impact in the world where we live, but the day to day seems to make life foggy. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and before we know it, time has passed and possibly been wasted. 

So, how? How to change? How to live differently? How do I live freely, anticipating a meaningful life and growing in that direction? Many days, its like walking in the dark. Circumstances dim the path before us. 

My husband is a barista: early to bed, early to rise. He will be up before most to begin his day making coffee for others. While we sleep Tyler is getting ready for us! Such a nice thought really. This reminds me of our heavenly Father who never sleeps. A feeling of warmth and gratitude sweeps over me. I’m grateful.

He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.  — Psalm 127:2

Sometimes I head to bed a tad later than my husband. This creates quite the obstacle course for me. Of course, I don’t want to wake him. I open the door to quietly creep into the bedroom. At first it’s pitch black. I can’t make out a thing. The 100 lb. labradoodle finds his resting place on the floor somewhere around the circumference of our bed. I’m never quite sure where he has landed. I glide my foot across the floor waiting to feel a mound of warm fur. I begin to orient myself as my eyes adjust to the constants in the room. I see a glow peaking through cracks in the shutters; some nights are brighter than others. I see the dimly lit clock. Gradually, I begin to make out the forms of furniture, which guide me to safety in my bed. And don’t doubt it, that dog gets stepped on often and you will hear one of us exclaim, “Oh gosh!”

Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. —Psalm 139:12

Last night I began the “head-to-bed” adventure. I was anxious about many things and I wondered if this would be a sleep aid kind of night. You know those kinds of nights? My mom calls it, “the wild animals fighting in your head.” As I entered the room it was darker than usual. The darkness reminded me of my path in life filled with worry. The hidden way was before me. I stood there, waiting for that tiny bit of vision to come to guide me to safety. I knew that if I waited my eyes would adjust and I would find my path. I believed it. I stepped in faith into the darkness.

And then the glow came.

I lay in bed in silence determined to walk by faith.

Walk without sight. Wait and trust. Find the glow.

My eyes begin to adjust to the constant in my life.

His constant, guiding light.

Once I’m reoriented, then I can take a step in confidence and safety, believing that the constant will not change. One step at a time.

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. — Psalm 94:19

The analogy is simple to understand, and hard to apply. But believing in God’s promises is the best kind of sleep aid there is.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.  — 2 Corinthians 5:7

Up at 4 a.m. the barista tiptoes slowly out of the bedroom with the same challenge of not waking me…

feeling his way through the darkness to begin finding the light.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. — John 1:5

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Here's a

practical way

you can take

the reins

of your life

as you

head into 2017.

pathFinder is an effective tool to see your life in a new way. If you are like me you are always looking for motivation to change. So pull up to the table of intentionality and grab a friend or two and go through pathFinder together these first few weeks of 2017. Believe me, you will see life in the most new and refreshing way. (Click here to order pathFinder books)