happy new year!

Another year over, and what have we built?

Before Christmas, my husband and i went to see my mom and brother on Vancouver Island. We took some Christmas cheer to them and it was good. We then rested at the beach where we were married. It was very good.

The rain poured down. The logs burned brightly. There was food in the cupboard, and seafood in the fridge. As the tide went out on our final afternoon, we walked the beach and praised the Lord for His goodness. It is here, i long to bid adeiu to 2010. Praising the Lord for His goodness. For the rain, the fire, the food. And for His constant faithfulness.

The ripples in the sand of this picture, remind me of the challenges of the past year, and the joys of victory. Hills and valleys stretched out over the course of time, and we walk along in the -hopeful-reflection of His glory. (can u see the sky reflected in the stillness of the tide?)

In the summer months, this is an awesome beach for sand castle building. Such fun. With our spades and shovels and buckets and molds. Searching the beach for the appropriate flags and decorations. Finding the right shells and hoping to finish before the tide returns or the children and dogs attack our unprotected walls. Or we bury one another in the sand, just leaving our heads exposed until we've had enough. Later, we can build a fire on the beach and sing songs that never end- or at least not until the last marshmallow is eaten.

In some ways, i see this past year just like that. As tho i have built a sandcastle. Spending too much time searching for the right flag to wave and the best decor for my house and body. Rather than leaving my head exposed and the rest of me buried, i have buried my head in the sand, choosing not to look too intently at the world around me, for fear that the last marshmallow had indeed been consumed.

WAIT! dont leave yet! I'm not truly a fatalist. I hear the Lord (as best as i can with my head under the earth) He's saying- this will be a re-building year--and it wont be a sandcastle we build either.

As i begin to walk the beach of the next year, i wonder what hills and valleys lay before me. Looking forward to the victories and the joys, i hope i can reflect His glory in the challenges. The re-building has already begun in my heart as i see where i need to take my head out of the sand. There has been shallowness and over-consumption, but there is a stillness in my heart. In that place, i can see the grace of God and hear His heartbeat in the waves of the tide. There, i am reminded of His faithfulness and constant love. Where i have fallen short, His arm pulls me forward yet again.

Another year over. Maybe i have only built a sand castle, but from that the Lord, my LORD is building a mighty fortress.

Praying for you, that 2011 will bring you to a place of stillness, where you hear God's heartbeat, see His beauty, know His love and reflect His glory. May the song in your heart be un-ending- and may you never run short of marshmallows!