I had an awesome 2013. If you know me well then you know that I love to reflect. Usually at the end of a semester I'll sit down and journal about things that I learned and ways that I grew. As I reflect on my past year, and especially the last 7 months of clinicals, there are an incredible amount of lessons learned and ways that I have changed. As I looked back on all the memories over the past year I found one common theme. All of my best memories involved loving people. The cool thing is that there wasn't just one person or one group of people that all these memories were with, it was with numerous people, in many different places throughout the country/world. There was a spring break trip to Mexico with three bestfriends, my family coming to Chicago to celebrate my birthday, going on hikes with new friends in North Carolina, having wonderful heart-to-heart chats with patients in the clinic/hospital... I could go on and on and list off memory after memory from this past year because I have so many wonderful memories with so many amazing people.
When I reflect back on the past I always like to make goals for the future. I don't sit down and write out New Years Resolutions but I do like to think about ways to grow and things to work on. When I think ahead to this future year there isn't much that is known. All I know is that I'm taking my licensure exam and then I'm going to Kenya. Where my new home is and where my future memories will be created I don't know but I do know that I want all my new memories to include loving people. What will be remembered will be how I loved and nothing beyond that really matters. When I look back on 2013 I remember most the people that I spent time with and they way that I loved. I know a year from now as I look back on 2014 it will be the exact same way.
Therefore, my goal for this next year is to love more and love deeper.
As I reflect back on the past year I see another blatantly apparent area that I want to grow in. There was a recurrent pattern of me being really anxious about something and then God continually reminding me that everything was going to be okay. This happened during my last spring semester as I was anxious about school work and then it happened when I arrived at each new clinical location. I was always fearful of both starting a new clinical internship and also of building new friendships at each one. In North Carolina anxiety and fear overtook me because I didn't know why God had "put me out there" but after I gave my fear to the Lord two weeks into the clinical I ended up falling in love with the state and thoroughly enjoying my time there. In Colorado the fear overcame me because I was so anxious about finding a job out there in a "very condensed PT market" but after trusting that the Lord had a perfect job for me I was able to thrive in my clinical and enjoy the relationships I was able to build. There was no need for me to fear or be anxious during any of those times. Of course it's easier to say that looking back when you see that everything ended up okay but I want to be able to look ahead into the future and trust that everything is going to be okay. Because it is. God is in control and there is no room for fear if I trust that.
Therefore, my goal for this next year is to fear less.
As I was journaling about these goals the verse 1 John 4:18 was put on my heart: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear". I am thankful that our God perfectly loves us and he shuts the door on fear in our life. There is no need for it.
I also like the Message edition of this verse "God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love."
Therefore, my goal for this next year is to love more and love deeper.
As I reflect back on the past year I see another blatantly apparent area that I want to grow in. There was a recurrent pattern of me being really anxious about something and then God continually reminding me that everything was going to be okay. This happened during my last spring semester as I was anxious about school work and then it happened when I arrived at each new clinical location. I was always fearful of both starting a new clinical internship and also of building new friendships at each one. In North Carolina anxiety and fear overtook me because I didn't know why God had "put me out there" but after I gave my fear to the Lord two weeks into the clinical I ended up falling in love with the state and thoroughly enjoying my time there. In Colorado the fear overcame me because I was so anxious about finding a job out there in a "very condensed PT market" but after trusting that the Lord had a perfect job for me I was able to thrive in my clinical and enjoy the relationships I was able to build. There was no need for me to fear or be anxious during any of those times. Of course it's easier to say that looking back when you see that everything ended up okay but I want to be able to look ahead into the future and trust that everything is going to be okay. Because it is. God is in control and there is no room for fear if I trust that.
Therefore, my goal for this next year is to fear less.
As I was journaling about these goals the verse 1 John 4:18 was put on my heart: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear". I am thankful that our God perfectly loves us and he shuts the door on fear in our life. There is no need for it.
I also like the Message edition of this verse "God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love."
I know you don't always think about love and fear being connected but they are. If you have more of one then you'll automatically have less of another. Therefore, my theme for 2014 is to LOVE MORE, FEAR LESS.
No comments:
Post a Comment