Highlights of a Different Kind

It was the beginning of prayer time in our Sunday school class. It being the first one of the new year, he asked a question. One I’d never been asked:

It caught me off guard, really. For, although I’d often reflected on years past and all that I might have learned, I’d never really thought about summing up a year’s highlights from the perspective of my walk with God.

I quickly remembered the day that God used His Word to infuse courage and hope and wisdom into the my-youngest-child-starts-kindergarten-tomorrow-and-I’m-a-complete-mess-about-it state of mind. He showed me Psalm 40 that day and assured me that although mom-life as I know it drastically changed, He is guiding and teaching and molding me to sing the song He wrote just for me.

But the question stuck with me for the rest of the day. What were my spiritual highlights of 2010? And, all through the day, I recalled the life-sticky lessons He started working in my heart throughout what I consider to be one of the more difficult years of my adult life.

Like the one about choosing to obey what He asks, even when it’s not exciting or fun and doesn’t end in admiration from others. He started that spark of a lesson in my heart while I trained to walk my second half-marathon even though I had wanted to run it. But it was not about me. It was about those orphans who hurt and are hurting, often at the hands of their parents. The ones He holds so dearly and asked me to help take care of. He started giving me His heart. And teaching me that loving Him means obeying.

Then I remembered the evenings of that dreaded week in October after I’d begged His mercy for no sickness or difficulty in my daughter’s tonsilectomy/andenoidectomy. I struggled those first few nights wondering why He wouldn’t just answer this one time and let her not have to suffer even just this once. But, as I drove her to the hospital for what we have learned is her propensity to get dehydrated upon throwing up just a few times, He washed my soul with the assurance that He is indeed the One to trust through all the crap of this life. Because He walks with me always, even when I don’t want to walk through it at all. Even when it means He has to help me hold the barf bowl.

And somehow in those early morning hours, knowing He was with me and still holding it all together was enough.

I remembered a few more spiritual highlights :

Like realizing I had not screwed up His plan 20 years ago when I made all those really stupid, unwise, foolish choices in high school. When I got to my 20-year high school reunion, He let me see that He worked in spite of me, and somehow He was able to work even in the midst of my foolishness. That night, He freed me up from all that guilt I carried for all those years. And His grace led me to deep-hearted gratitude for my amazing God! Thank You, Jesus! Yep, that was a definite highlight.

He’s still working me through another one. It has to do with His mercy and His care and intimacy with Him. He’s walking me through it. And I have a feeling it’s gonna’ end up being a highlight from the decade. Although I’m not quite there yet.

So, how about you? What were some of the spiritual highlights of 2010 for you?

p.s. Happy New Year!