Goodbye, 2007

I know, it's been a while since my last post. Sorry. But here I am, back to write a tribute for 2007.

Busyness is a key to my disappearance, but the real reason for my lack of activity is that these past few months have been tough. While struggling with the mess of my emotions, getting my thoughts together to write anything worth while was out of the question. But like I said, I'm back. I remember writing about the end of 2006 and the entry of 2007, and thought it would be appropriate to do the same for this new year. I hope this tribute to 2007 finds you well.

One year ago, on January 5, 2007, I wrote that I was incredibly excited for the year 2007. I expected it to be amazing. I was ready for my best year. If God had given me a glimpse into 2007, I probably would have never written such things.

All in all, this year was incredibly difficult. It was filled with conflict, most of which was internal. I therefore have nothing to show for it. No battle scar, no miraculous story, no beautiful piece of work that I labored over. To top it off, I am still in the meat of the conflict. And so there is no list of things I've learned, or how I have grown, no clear summary of the realizations I have come to through my thoughts. No epiphanies, no revelations, no enlightening. Nothing to show for my efforts. All I can show you is a girl humbled by her weaknesses. A girl who knows she has a long way to go.

So then, what do I say about 2007? While I didn't like it, it was a very necessary year. During this year, I have realized that I am that person that I don't want to be. At the risk of sounding immature, this year I clearly saw my ability to harm, to hurt, to not help. Doing none of these things intentionally, but instinctively, reactively, ignorantly. This year my weaknesses rang loud and clear, and my strengths seemed to disappear. And these realizations, these discoveries, whatever you want to call them, are necessary so that I may become the person that I want to be, and the person that God wants me to be.

So to 2007, I say goodbye. I will not miss you, but I will hopefully be grateful for you.

And what of 2008? I have hope for this next year, a hope that is more mature than the hope I had for 2007. A hope that is not so deterred by bad days and puffed up by good ones. This is a hope that trusts in God's grace and sovereignty.

Hopeful 2008!