New Year Plans; How’s that working out?

 

Helllllooooooo!!!

Wow, the last 6 months have been quite possibly the most stressful 6 months of my life! Between wedding planning, still ploughing through my Masters Degree, crazy-crazy work stuff, taking up dance classes, (hello?! Of course!) and really trying to focus on looking my absolute possible best on my wedding day life has been non-stop! Of course writing my personal blog has slipped into the non-essential column and here we are 6 months later…

I finally feel like I have caught up to some extent and I am on track as opposed to running desperately behind schedule with the wedding stuff. I can finally take a breath and reflect, for a moment, before launching into married life in about 3 weeks time.

I wanted to share my New Year message that I wrote in my diary on January 1 this year. I was in Adelaide, Simon had gone back to Bendigo as he was still the acting Corps Officer at The Salvation Army there.

I wanted a coffee (as I do everyday) but being New Years Day in Adelaide none of the shopping centres or cafes were open so I settled for McCafe… Being a hot day I ordered a Frappucino and sat in the recycled air conditioning of McDonalds Elizabeth… Classy…

I have been reading ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers intermittently over the last 2 years (it’s structured to read in a year with dates but I just kept ignoring the dates and reading when I could). So I opened up Chambers again with my iphone nearby (good ‘ole trusty bible app) a pen (that was running out) and the ‘notes’ section of my brand new diary.

Here are my notes (all Ozzie Chambers words, this was just what I pulled out of the reading I did that day);

The ‘GO’ of Preparation

‘It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared but preparation is not suddenly accomplished…

The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation.’

The ‘GO’ of Relationship

‘Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us… No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself – a relationship that has been examined, purified and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.’

On the first day of this year I was challenged by God through Oswald Chambers to understand that preparation for His work is on the go and I will never be fully ‘ready’. I just have to be ready to ‘go’ at any time and be willing to learn on the way for the rest of my life. And I was also challenged by the fact that my relationship with God is going to be tested by my willingness to ‘go’ for Him…

This past month Simon and I have found out that in January we are moving to Darwin. Simon has received a field change with The Salvation Army and is going to be the Corps Officer at Palmerston Corps (just outside of Darwin in the Northern Territory). As I am signing up to be Simon’s wife in three weeks time I am also signing on to ‘go’ with him wherever and whenever God sends us.

We both knew that this year was a year for change. Getting married was life-change enough but we also wanted a change of scenery and we knew that means the possibility of moving anywhere in the Australia Southern Territory (yes the Northern Territory fits into the Southern Territory haha). That’s anywhere in Australia except New South Wales or Queensland. So as I sat in Maccas on New Years Day here’s what else I wrote;

Places Simon and I would like to go next:

(2013) Baby? Complete Masters?

* Melbourne – A Corps, a tough area

* Adelaide – Northern Suburbs (Playford/ Gawler)

Anywhere…

After which overseas…

Community Development Projects…

Isn’t it interesting the places God can take you if you give it over to Him. We had no clue we would be sent to the Northern Territory, although I guess the Northern Territory certainly fits into Anywhere…

We want God to send us wherever He wants without us getting in the way with our own expectations or our own timelines. At the same time I have learnt this year that my patience is rewarded as well. I am often impatient with God and with myself. Entering into a covenant (like I discussed in this post) means that I not only want to do things God’s way but I have to now consider someone else in my decisions which often means they take a little longer to happen  

Even though I’ve still gotta finish uni for the year and get married before packing and leaving next year Simon and I are SUPER excited for the change. We think God has something cool in store for us and if it turns out to be more of a challenge than we originally thought we trust that He has it in hand. A life with God is an exciting one, an unexpected one, one that we would never have chosen for ourselves but waaay better.

Even though I am a planner the Beautiful Plans happen when God is in charge!

So yeah, this year’s working out fine. Thanks for asking…