FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

Life

Jan 11

Date

1.11.21

time

12:00 PM

Place

Home

Focus for 2022.

It is Day 11 of 2022 already. It seems like life continues to pass by faster and faster each year, which I love, but also kinda hate. But nonetheless I am thankful for life and the continued opportunity to keep plowing ahead.

For me, 2021 was such an interesting year. A year that started out with lots of hope, seemingly kind of simmered and left me feeling depleted, unexcited, stressed and burned out. My goal of going further happened indeed, but left me without the results I was hoping for. Failed IUI and IVF. A season of uncertainity and defeat in my workflow for candacemread.com. My list could go on and on. As I look back on the last year, I see so many moments of where I was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together myself, rather than allowing Him to orchestrate my very steps. You see, I strongly believe that God will allow us to experience seasons that bring us to complete surrender. Seasons that allow us to realize just how much we need Him. Seasons that give us the opportunity to see that He is always working on our behalf if we allow Him to do so.

During the Summer of 2021, I fell in love with a passage of scripture from John that has quite literally carried me through the last few weeks of 2021. It reads like this:

John 15: 1- 11

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

You see, remaining has never come easy for me. Throughout my life, I have remained on my terms…often exiting stage left when things are not baring the fruit that I would choose. When I see that God’s plan isn’t going how I thought it would (taking too long, pain induced, etc), I AM THE ONE YELLING ABORT, ABORT, ABORT. But to grow into the next season, I feel strongly that the Lord is challenging me to remain with Him, even in the seasons that don’t feel like my perfect plan. To know that He would never lead me wrong. You see, being a Type A, list oriented, borderline control freak, makes this challenging.

A few weeks back as I was reflecting on how to intentionally move forward this year in my heart and spirit, I found myself at odds with my desire for outcome. As I countined to ponder, I began sifting through the word expectation and realized that expectation isn’t a bad thing…in fact it can produce beautiful fruit when grounded in the hope of glory. When I remain in Him, I can expect Him to do the unthinkable. I can expect Him to operate beyond my natural logic. I can expect Him to show himself mighty, because that is what His Word says He will do.

So this year, rather than going further, I am taking a full stop to remain in Him. And as I remain, I will be in a posture of expectation knowing that God knows my dreams, goals and desires and that if I co-labor with Him, He will steer my journey accordingly. So that’s my focus for 2022. To do the work of being connected always and remaining in a posture of expectation through the good, the bad and the ugly.

What is your focus for 2022?