Blessed

God blesses me all the time. He has been blessing me since before I was even born. I have seen evidence of His blessings in my life during both good and bad times; during both the easy-going phases, and the most onerous phases. In have seen it while living through these moments, and I can see it in hindsight, when remembering the moments I've lived through with Him by my side.

This year has been another busy year. All of the things a 27 year old (now 28) would be doing; working, studying, dieting, exercising, not dieting or exercising, saving money, spending money, traveling, staying home alone, going out with friends, spending time with family, being in a friend's wedding, going to friends' weddings, seeing people greet new little bundles of joy into their families, and figuring out who I am now (just to name a few).

This year, I was mostly focused on trying to keep balance in my life, trying to be content with my life, trying to challenge myself in areas I needed to be challenged, trying to practice patience, and trying to draw closer to my LORD and Savior.

I made some slight improvements here and there, spent too much money, didn't save enough money, and feel content most of the time, but still find myself practicing impatience more than I'd like to admit. I got to see some new things, I progressed in my journey to getting my degree, I learned new things and made strides in my occupation. It was a great year, overall.

About two months ago, God did something that I wasn't expecting. At the time, I questioned whether I was ready for what He was doing, but I didn't (and don't ) question whether it was Him doing it. No matter how much I thought I was ready, before God orchestrated this new thing in my life, I was suddenly faced with the reality of it, and it scared me. God brought someone into my life who has been blessing me with his sweetness and authenticity ever since. God's timing in this event was perfect (although I wouldn't have minded not being in the middle of a full-time semester, if I'm honest). With each day that passes, I realize more and more that because God's timing is perfect, and because he orchestrated this, HE will equip me as necessary to navigate these new waters. I don't have to worry or be scared, I have to trust Him.

I can't know what the future holds, nor do I want to. But this Christmas season, as I reflect on the past year of my life and look ahead to next year, I am so struck by the personal, intentional way that God has handled my heart and soul this year. I've been praying for patience for a year. I've been trying to intentionally draw closer to Him. He blesses me even when things are not this happy, but right now, I'm in awe of the complete joy that He fills me with each day.  For the past two months, every day I wake up reflecting on what God has given me, and filled with gratitude, I pray that he will continue to draw me closer to him as he also allows me to feel so much happiness because of the man he placed in my life.

I imagine next year will be similar to this year, except I will have a very special man in my life now, God willing. I'm at peace with my life with or without this man, but with him I am also filled with happiness every single day, to the point that I often wonder if it's sustainable, or even real. I'm blessed by God all the time, and this particular blessing is something that took me by complete surprise. I hope that I continue to move to a deeper relationship with God, as me and Matt continue to connect with each other in our new relationship.