You've Taught Us Well, 2016!

Authentically Me
Dec 30, 2016
3 min read

I reflect a LOT! It’s just the way I’m wired, I call it one of my #SweetSpots. One of the things I’ve been reflecting on is what this year has brought, taught, and revealed.

As I talked with my sisterfriends/partners, we all agreed that this has been a bit of a turbulent year. Several ups and downs, several surprises, several hurtful experiences. I’ll share some of what 2016 has brought, taught, and revealed to me.

2016 brought a new level of understanding. It has shown me all the more what I’m worth in the eyes of God. This year has brought me to a deeper relationship with my Father. I believe so many times we feel as if we already have a deep relationship with Him. We feel as though we are “copasetic” with God until He brings to our attention that we’re the only ones who feel that way. He has brought to my attention the need to love with godly love. That last one….not gonna lie….is hard. It’s hard because the way this flesh is set up, it wants to make the cake, bake it, cut it, and eat it. We want to leave the difficult ones by the wayside because we’d rather not entertain nor deal with them. There’s a constant war that goes on between flesh and spirit. Paul made this clear in Romans 7:14-25. There will always be a struggle. There will never be a time when we just go along with what the Spirit wants. We must kill the flesh in order to live by and in the Spirit and push through to love.

2016 taught me to live in God and depend SOLELY on His strength and not man’s! Jeremiah 17:5 gives clear warning to who we’re to draw our strength from and depend on. 2016 taught me how to step up, take the bat, and swing. This year has taught me to be #Unapologetic about being who God created me to be. For so many of us, we tend to hide and not even know we’re hiding. We lose who we are and then try to commit identity theft by taking someone else’s identity. We get caught up in the things we don’t like about ourselves and try to immolate someone else. Well, this year taught me that I’m not “her.” I’m not a copy. I am exactly who I was created to be. (Post that!!)

2016 revealed to me who I had placed my trust in. It was a hurtful reveal but nonetheless, the truth. When we tend to place our trust in man and not in God, our views of His word become distorted. We develop man-made ideals about the way God operates and how others should too. We look for the answer in man more than we do in God. He revealed to me that even through the hurt and brokenness, that it was time. It was time to step into the new dimension. All my life, God had been preparing me for this moment. The same is true for my sisterfriends/partners and even you, God had been preparing you too.

And we are now on the cusp of a new year. A fresh start. New mercies.

What has God revealed to you about 2016 and how will you enter into 2017?