The fruit of January
The last time I met you here was December 31, 2015. Today is January 31, 2016, and words cannot express how grateful I am for the past solid month (which would explain why I have typed, deleted and retyped this first sentence about five times already.)
It's pretty safe to say January did not go how I expected. Frankly, there were several things about January that did not meet my expectations. But where my gratitude erupts is in the place where change and growth happened in me. Faced with the disappointment of unmet expectations (like the expectation for my 2016 goals to be completed and posted by January 1...or at least in single-digit January days), I had a choice to make: accept what felt like failure OR embrace grace, trust the process, and let new expectations come to life.
What happened in January was spiritual and physical and at times emotional. And as I sit here on this 31st day, I am thankful for the new path that was made and the fruit of what came out of pushing through. I got to really spend time digging deep through prayer and lots of writing, reviewing and preparing for a truly purposeful, impactful and fulfilling year ahead. Seeing the fruit of this month, I realize my initial timeline and expectations were off and the time it actually took to get where I am now was so needed and so worth it.
Things don't have to go how you expected or how you planned to go well.
I share all of this in hopes it helps your load feel lighter and hope feel a little brighter. Things don't have to go how you expected or how you planned to go well. Sometimes we don't know what we need and the process that happens in the midst of missing our expectations is what was best for us all along. So pick up where you are, set your gaze fiercely on the vision before you, and have grace for the ebb and flow of the path that gets you to where you're going.
I'm excited to be back later this week to share the fruit of January with you.
