01.16.10

Hello! I hope your new year is going well!
This year has been great for me so far! I've had my moments of sadness, but I have a feeling this year will be unforgettable. I have a deep sense that it will be a testing, difficult year, but amazingly rewarding. If it's anything like this past year, I will be a totally different person next January. Look me up then. :)

This year, I'm hoping, praying that God brings many people into my path from unexpected places so that He can be glorified. I'm praying that I'll have new fire and boldness (not being insane, but bold and confident in who God is in me) to speak to people about Him and/or show them His love, which transcends my own.
I'm praying for my heart to be broken with compassion, to love the weak and downtrodden, to defend the widow and orphan, to not fit in, but stand out, to be tested.
Yikes! That's a dangerous prayer isn't it? It means not being comfortable, maybe hurting. It means being out of my comfort zone. It means maybe being embarrassed of myself sometimes, maybe getting made fun of. It means pushing away pride and working towards His glory, not mine.
It may be a passionate prayer, but it's not feel-good. On that note, I'm praying the same for you, on the other side of my screen, as well (for real). :)

This year, I have learned so much. I'm a different person. I look back on earlier this year and think, "Dang, Sarah girl, you were almost a child,". I'm not the same as I was then, thank God.
As for a few of the important things I learned:

• Dreams do come true, no matter what they say.
• Living without God, for me, is like living without air. It chokes and suffocates and makes living for a long period of time impossible. I would die.
• God is present, especially when I don't feel Him, especially when He's silent.
• I am beautiful. Not because of looks, but because of Christ in me.

A few small things:

• Always wear mismatched socks. (you'd be surprised at how much more interesting life gets)
• Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend; chapstick is.
• A game of cowboys/pirates/ninjas with your siblings/friends is crucial to the enjoyment of life.
• Be crazy every once in a while, it's ok. Sing into your hairbrush, draw yourself a mustache, speak in a british accent and call yourself Miss Victoria Spellings (if you're a girl) or Sir Joseph Pootley (if you're a guy). Just do it, I promise, you'll be fine.
  

These are just a few things I've learned this year. What have you learned?