…the 2017 wrap up from Spotify is in, so I guess that means 2017 is officially over.
I can honestly say 2017 was one of the best years of my life. Maybe I say that about each year as they go by, but I truly mean it for 2017. It wasn’t an easy year (just ask my dear brother who gave me my first acronym this year: WISC. It stands for ‘Why is Sophia Crying’. I am not proud of this acronym, in case you are wondering. Besides, I was probably cold, thus, the appearance of crying. Anyhow. Moving on.
If I could give a snapshot of this year in a sentence, it would be: WAIT and Trust. I realized this year how much Fia loves to be in control and how she hates to be patient. Therefore, my Father put me in circumstances where I could do nothing but WAIT. I wish I could say I learned right away, but Fia can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes. In case you are wondering, I am not proud of this fact either.
While I was in the midst of my waiting and wondering why God was taking so long to give me clear direction, these lyrics burst into my fog:
“Here in the dark, I do not ask to see
The path ahead-one step enough for me
Lead on, lead on, kindly Light.” 1
“You satisfy me till I am quiet and confident
In the work of the Spirit I cannot see…” 2
“And I’m restless, I’m restless
‘Til I rest in You, ’til I rest in You” 3
I realized how restless I was this year. My feet may have stayed in MN, but my heart and mind were restless. At the beginning of 2017 I told the Lord I would surrender all my future; everything to Him. If He wanted me to be a missionary, I would do it; I was His. If He wanted me to get married, stay home and take care of crabby kids, I would do it; I was His. (Now before you start thinking, wow, what an incredibly surrender-ful, humble, amazing girl Fia is….) I was stricken with the thought: “Okay. What if God wants you to stay doing what you are doing right now for the rest of your life? What if His will for you is to stay put and be joyful in your life as you have it?
That was a terrible, scary thought to poor Fia. I think because to her, living a life of purpose for God meant doing GREAT and AMAZING and COOL things. This is true. However, God can be served in any vocation, in any way, in any land, and in any calling.
“The heart set to do the Father’s will need never fear defeat.” 4
In this way, more than in any other, 2017 was a good year. It is not to say that I have arrived and I have successfully learned this lesson perfectly, but tasting the incredibly joy of being content where God has me planted was one of the greatest blessings and lessons I could have received this year.
Apart from that, 2017 was riddled with other spectacular highlights:
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Riding a train for the first time and visiting my dear, dear friends in North Dakota.
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Riding a dirt bike for the first time. (Believe me friends, it wasn’t pretty. I nearly crashed into a fence and looked like a complete fool.)
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Visiting Cuba. There are no words to adequately express my gratitude for this opportunity.
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Working at my job for 1 year. I am so blessed with such a great job and amazing coworkers.
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Spending 2 weekends in the heart of Minneapolis, visiting my dear friend. (and running into a creepy guy who asked to take a picture with my dear friend. Gladly, he did not ask to take a picture with me. I would have gathered my skirts and fled. Fia does not enjoy taking pictures with creepy people.)
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Seeing my bros again after they were gone for in Florida for the summer. Man, I missed them so much! They are so dear to me.
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Seeing the blooming tulips at the MN Arboretum with my little sister.
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Sunsets, sunrises, lunch-break walks, too many pictures, numerous books that have impacted me, walks and runs in the country, deep talks, praying with friends, coffee, etc., etc., etc.,
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Running the Mudman in Kimball, MN with my friend and becoming a ‘chocolate-covered Fia’.
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Buying my first car. (He is a Prius and I still haven’t decided whether to name him Pistachio or Wallace. Any thoughts?)
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Having the WHOLE FAMILY (all 13 of us) together for labor day.
Thank you, Lord. How could I ask for more?
{footnotes: 1. Lead Kindly Light, by Audrey Assad 2. You Speak, by Audrey Assad 3. Restless, by Audrey Assad 4. quote by Elisabeth Elliott }
The Silent Storyteller 