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As 2019 draws to a close and we welcome 2020, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on how far we’ve come this past year! Thinking back to where this blog was one year ago, it’s kinda crazy how many things have changed. Revisiting a few:

Christmas last year, Status Quo Questions published its first post. At the time, I wondered if this blog would turn out like my other two (no longer used) blog sites… and unfinished book drafts… and long-unvisited project ideas. That being said, it was exciting to see this post is number 25!

Status Quo Questions kicked 2019 off with some posts that came out of changes I was going through personally, and it blew me away how they opened conversations with you all. “Riding the Winds of Change” came following a tough decision, but as the post describes, that change introduced an important challenge:

“Would you do it just because you knew God was asking you to?”

Not because someone needed you to, not because you could come up with a logical reason for doing it, but just because you knew that was the decision you were being asked to make.

That question came back around a few weeks later as I was pulled to write “To The Woman Who’s Been Broken: Before The Healing Comes.” I still remember sitting at my counter, not wanting to publish it, thinking:

“Well, maybe no one will read it?”

Ironically, it became and has continued to be the most viewed post on this site.

I really valued the conversations those posts started with people who either had been through or were going through similar situations. Now almost a year later, how’d we do? If you had something in mind as you read those posts, how’d it turn out?

If you’re still in the middle of letting go of what’s familiar or moving past pain, don’t be discouraged if you aren’t where you wanted to be yet. 🙂 As we’ve learned this year, growth takes place as a process. How does where you are today look different from where you were a year ago?

Next came posts on one of my least favorite lessons in the history of least favorite lessons: patience. Again, my business-focused upbringing trained me to always be thinking of how to make changes quickly and what to take on next… Which is another little piece of irony considering how many posts kept going back to how important patience is. It’s been fun and encouraging to hear how some of you aren’t fans of it either… At least we’re honest while we’re learning, right?

Really though, it makes me smile thinking about how much God has changed how I think about trusting Him, being loved by Him, and even, yes, patience this year. In the “In the Hands of a Mighty God” series, we looked at how we can trust God and rely on Him for strength through situations that are over our heads or discouraging. We also looked at stepping out in faith and having the courage to follow Him, or start, even when we don’t feel ready. Finally, we’ve looked at a couple examples of what it means to lead as a Christian and the responsibility leaders have to steward their roles well.

More than any of those, though, it’s blown me away how God has chosen to teach about who He is, His character. As more posts included “In the Hands of a _____ God” in their titles, I started becoming more aware of qualities of His that were shown in each of the Scripture passages we looked at. As we understand how trustworthy and amazing He is, it becomes easier to slow down and trust Him.

As I’ve been reflecting, I’ve been really grateful for everything He’s done this year. I wish I could share it all with you here, but we’ll save it for another day. What about you guys, though? What have you learned this year? What goals did you meet? What turned out differently than you hoped?

If it was a good year for you, celebrate! Answered prayers, victories, and even just seasons of relief are gifts to be grateful for. If it was a hard year, take heart knowing that your current situation won’t last forever. Training grounds, small beginnings, and patient endurance are moments to be thankful for just the same (even when they hurt like crazy or feel like they will never end). Still, I pray you have some relief and refreshment in this new year.

If you’re somewhere in between, I’m right there with you! This year was marked by special moments of answered prayers, yet still there’s a struggle to patiently steward my season now until I can move closer to where my heart pulls. Thankfully, none of that is ours to figure out or make happen on our own!

Well, what a year! As we look ahead to 2020, I pray it’s marked with intentional focus on what God is asking us to do where He has us now, a patience and trust as He prepares us for what’s ahead, and genuine joy as we continue learning to fall in love with who He is, regardless of our circumstances.

Here’s to our journey… 2020 style! 😎

“When You did awesome things which we did not expect, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” – Isaiah‬ ‭64:3-4‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” ‭‭– Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭(NASB‬‬)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” – Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11a‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)