Goodbye 2010 and Hello 2011!

Only one week until the new year, I wanted to take this opportunity to write a little reflection on 2010. 2010 has been an eventful year, to say the least. I've made a few life altering decisions this year, I've reached a few milestones in life, I've experienced emotions I've never experienced before, and I've made quite a few mistakes that caused pain to people I care about. If you ask me, if I had a chance to do things differently, would I? I would say yes, there are definitely certain things I wish I did differently. But if you ask me if I have any regrets, I would say no. I think everything that happened happened for a reason. I think over time we can begin to see a fraction of why things happened the way they did. We've all made mistakes in our life, we've all said and done things we wish we could take back. Unfortunately, we can't take these back. So all we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to make amends. Then we need to look ahead. If we focus our energy on what's in the past, then we can never move forward. Paul said to the church of Philippians,

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Here Paul reminded us that we need to forget what was in the past, and push forward to what's ahead. There are still many more trials to be experienced, more mistakes to be made, more learning to be done. But there is a prize at the end of the path and we need to keep our eyes on that.

2010 has also been a year of tears. I've shed more tears in 2010 than in my life combined. I've used up countless packages of Kleenex, soaked many pillowcases...there were days where the tears would just stream down my face continuously like an open faucet. They were tears of sorrow, tears of joy, tears of repentance, tear of pain... King David once said that God knows all our upsets and He keep our tears in a bottle. I can't help but wonder how many bottles I've filled up this year.

"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" Psalm 56:8

Although 2010 has been a stormy year, but it is through the storms that I've grown stronger. It is through the storms that I learned to lean on God. I've experienced His presence with me so clearly through my up and downs this year; and I've learned that He alone can comfort my heart and in Him alone I can find peace. It is in 2010 that I've grown so much closer to the Lord and for that I am grateful.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29.

Finally, 2010 has been a year of thanksgiving. When I look around me, I am so thankful for the wonderful people God has surrounded me with, I am thankful a job that I am passionate about, I am thankful for my health, I am thankful for a God that loves me more than I could ever imagine...

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38-39