2005
The year 2005 is winding down, but not slowly. This year has picked up around mid-year, and kept accelerating for me. I don’t think I ever had a year that was more eventful than this one. A LOT happened, but I dare say there were more good than bad. I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to say that before. It’s totally by grace.
It really was an exciting year for me. Many good things that have happened weren’t just one-time-events, but the beginnings of something truly wonderful. Joining Ann Arbor Vineyard was probably the most significant event of the year, because it introduced me to people who have become the friends of my life. And I am SO excited about my small groups. I can’t wait to see what God will unfold in this wonderful community He has invited me in.
Speaking of life altering encounters, being involved in the fellowship of Al-Anon has been very positive as well. Vineyard has provided me a tremendous amount of healing and encouragement, but I think I needed the discipline of Al-Anon to really grow. As things get better, I don’t feel as acute of a need for Al-Anon, but I like to work the program as diligently as I can. It will benefit me in the long run. I can see God using that to equip me to be a truly effective worker for Him.
The life worth living is not complete without the sense of purpose. God showered me with tons of love, encouragement and spiritual nurturing. But I’m truly blessed when I can love back and serve. JCFN has provided me the outlet for my serving needs. This ministry is special to me, because it has a place for me to serve as a Japanese woman living in the U.S. Especially after Nagiko got sick and had to withdraw from the conference committee, I felt a strong calling from God to step up to the plate. Of course I can’t fill even 1/10 of the gaping hole Nagiko left in that community. But through CC05, God showed me how he takes small bread and fish we offer and satisfies the multitudes. I’ve been blessed many many times over the amount I gave.
I used to get defensive when I hear 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me ‘my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. I felt like I was being told “You better be thankful all the time, even if your life sucks”. Now I look at it again, I pay more attention to the latter half of the verse, and then the first part of the verse comes with ease. His grace IS sufficient for me, for His power makes me whole in my weakness.
posted by Megumi @ 7:14 AM
3 Comments:
i love reading your blog! and i love emailing w/you too today too. i like how you reflected back to your year, you gave me an idea of how me doing that might look, when i go on my retreat thing. and that verse...cool way of looking at it. i never really understood why that verse used to annoy me, and you said it so well. it didn't annoy me, it roused my sinful self and irritated it, which it should until i digest what it actually means, which you said awesomely here! and how true, until i royally screwed up this year and was made right by him, his grace didn't seem that real to me inside, i just talked about it a lot! and seeing how god has taught you so much thru al-alon and healed you, makes me want to learn more about it. you mentioned step 4 the other night (looking at your faults) and i thought, ouch, but good...
love you. s.
Yeah, AA and Al-Anon are amazing. It's almost like a systematic approach to Christian practices, but most people don't even know it while they are working through the steps. Many people come to Christ by accident while being involved in the program. I think it's awesome and I've benefited so much from it, though I've been lazy lately. I just feel the need to work it really hard, because I sometime see the negative legacy of my old life spilling into good part of my new life. My sponsor emphasizes growth beyond recovery, and I really want that. Because I've seen how great it works first hand,(of course it works, because it's based on the Bible principle) I can be excited about working it, and expect the result.
wow... i said "because" like in every sentence in the last comment. Kind of reminds me of when I said "hi" to your mom 5 times in a row when I first met her... It tends to happen when I'm very tired or a little nervous. I'm sleepy now... not nervous...
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