Update #141 - Happy Holidays 2010

Display at Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Bellevue, WA (The flowers made from lights...SO PRETTY!)

Since I started blogging and entering people’s lives twice a month, I stopped writing and sending annual Christmas letters. This year, since I am “blocked” on the devotional front, I thought I would resurrect the practice.

2010, as you know, was a year of travel for me. In fact, I just reached MVP status with one of my mileage award programs…no more paying for checked luggage!!! I had 10 trips this last year; four of which were international. I feel very privileged to experience what I have of the world – and be exposed to different cultures, practices…and food!

The stamps in my passport are impressive; trip photographs tell a stunning story, yet, that is not who I am – that is what I did, what I saw, what I accomplished – not the girl inside.

I was reflecting on 2010 last week. What had God done? (Tons) Where had God moved? (Everywhere) When had I seen God in action? (Almost daily) Who had I become?

The last question took a bit of time to answer. And, as all good writers / speakers, the answer came in alliterative terms: Fenced, Freedom, Favor.

The first several months of 2010 I felt “fenced” – everything I tried, all I put my hand to, it seemed, failed. I heard a lot of “not now, later.” I experienced delay, I struggled through several personal trials and felt as if I was pulling, not pushing, a large boulder up a mountain. The apex of this confinement came in May – in Cape Town – with a team of 35 around me. I’ll spare you the details but God did some major re-ordering of my thinking / perspectives and paradigms about the world and people.

This ushered in “freedom.” After months of perceived “internment” it was a breath of fresh air. All of the “not nows” disappeared, the bolder made it to the top of the hill seemingly on its own, and all that I put my hand to was easy and light, not burdensome. I continued learning new things, was stretched in good ways, and spent a lot of time laughing.

The Bible says that “a merry heart does good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). I felt I had experienced a huge dose of high-quality medicine and life was good. I didn’t expect it to elevate to great.

But that is what happened. Favor hit. Favor, in my definition, is “doing nothing and receiving everything.” It is portrayed pretty well in this YouTube video. The guys are doing nothing, yet the fish are jumping into their boat – no lines, not net, no bait; but they haul a great catch!

Miraculous things are a weekly, almost daily occurrence for me. It started with my eyesight being restored and not having to wear glasses / contacts on a daily basis, getting to go to Bali and Egypt and watch all the things God did there, coming home and having the opportunity to speak at my church, watch my sister get healed of a long time heart condition, and on, and on, and on. I giggle when I reflect on all the favor and glory God has granted in my life!

So, “Who have I become in 2010?” – one who has gone from fenced to favor. One who has experienced the glories of God in new, deeper and more exciting ways. One who is naturally supernatural and expectant of God to move and breathe in every and all situations.

If you have followed my blog over the last year you will have known of my “doings” – so this letter / posting is more about my “being” – an unusual approach to an end of year letter, but then again, when have you known me to fit the mold!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season to you and your family and may the God of Peace, Joy and Love enter your lives in a radical and new ways in 2011!