As 2010 draws to a close, I sit here and ponder where the last year has gone? It seems like just yesterday, my closest friends and I were piled up in the Shelton house celebrating the final hours of 2009. And now, as I sit here watching the finale of The Sing Off, I’m absolutely astounded at what this year has meant to me. After 18 months of intense, face to floor prayer, God counted me worthy to enter full time Christian ministry. Walking away from the safety and security of a government career was difficult, but I can honestly say it was worth it. The last nine months have not been easy, actually harder than anything else I’ve ever done. I’ve experienced heartache like never before, betrayal that no one deserves, and loneliness I wouldn’t wish on anyone. At the same time, I’ve been stretched and challenged to become a better me. I’ve made new friends that I don’t know how I ever lived without and walked away from others that proved more harmful than good.
When praying for direction in what God wanted me to take away from this year, I stumbled upon a message from TD Jakes entitled “The Glory is on the Floor.” In his sermon, he talked about the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus before His crucifixion. Before He began, He laid aside His garments and He got down on the floor. He humbled Himself before the men who served Him. He washed off the dust of where they had been. He cleansed them from their past. I was rebuked in my spirit, wondering how many times in my life have I asked God to move me on, despite my past? How often do I lay down a burden, only to pick it right back up again? Why do I allow the fear of my past to restrict my future? When I accepted God’s gift of salvation and determined to live my life for Him, He washed my feet. He knocked off all the dirt of past roads I’d walked and allowed me to enter my new life clean. The hardest lesson I learned in 2010 was that He does count me worthy. That nothing in my past hinders His love for me. He created me for a specific reason, with certain gifts and talents, to serve a special purpose. As I get stronger in my spirit, He shows me who I am in Him. I can’t earn His grace or His love.
As I walk towards 2011, with a renewed spirit, I wait expectantly for what God has in store. I pray He will guide each step, I beg Him to teach me more, and I lay my life at His feet to be used anyway He sees fit. Will 2011 take me to a new state or country? Will 2011 be the year God introduces me to my significant other? I have no idea, but I know who does and I trust Him. God gave me a verse, as I wrote this blog. Isaiah 30:21 says - Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left. I will praise Him, I will worship Him, I will trust Him, I will believe Him…Wherever He leads, I’ll go.
Be blessed as you reflect on this past year. I pray 2011 brings revelation to your mind, forgiveness to your heart, and joy to your spirit.
