Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
In reflecting on the 10 days we spent in Omaha with my family, I kept thinking "good and perfect gifts" are from God. That is not to say that my family is perfect by any means, but being able to spend that much time at Christmas with my family, at the house we grew up in, in Omaha, is definitely a good gift to me. Part of me wants to say that our vacation had nothing to do with being a gift from God - it was just our turn to spend Christmas with my family this year. But I don't believe that. We did so many more things and had different attitudes toward each other than we've ever had before. I think that is a result of God working in each of our lives. It was a good gift to me to spend so much time with my family because I'm coming to the realization that God has work for each of us to do that requires us to be in different parts of the country. (If I had my way, we'd all be able to do what we're supposed to do and live in the same neighborhood, which is strange because I was always the one who wanted to go out and be on my own and do my own thing when we were growing up.)
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Besides our trip to Omaha being a good gift from God, I'm starting to realize that my home in Texas is a good gift from God, too. I have no reason to not be joyful or give thanks for the gifts God has given me - it may not be the way I want things, but life on this earth is not perfect, and it never will be. On the contrary, while life may not be the "perfect" I could hope for, my life is full of two great gifts - two unique places I can call home.
So while I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, I do believe that a new year can be a sort of new beginning, and I believe that God is showing me these things that I need to work on. However, I do reserve the right to complain about the weather occassionally!
(I feel like this is coming out disjointed and random...I'm still thinking through all of these things, but I needed to get out what was in my head.)
