What I Learned in 2015

The year 2000 seemed like such a mile stone, and now here we are, flipping the calendar page to 2016.

The biggest difference between the 2000-version of me and the 2015-version of me is that the old me thought she knew everything. She was intelligent, sassy, gung-ho, and ready to face the world. Then she was hit with real life: full-time work, a break-up, a marriage, one baby, two babies, three babies, unemployment…

The 2015-version of me is more humble and more dependent on God. And if she could give any advice to give to the 2016-version of me, it would be this:

Be humble and faithful in what you were given. Trust God in everything, even the unknown.

And don't stop striving and learning, because, hey, you don't know everything. Every year there are lessons great and small to be learned. And the great lesson I learned in 2015 was that I needed to connect with God more consistently. For years now, I haven't been attending a Bible study, or reading the Bible regularly. And that finally changed last year.

First, I stopped making excuses. Most days, I hit the ground running, but if I make a little effort, I can still find time somewhere in the middle or end of the day to sit with my Bible for a few minutes. If I have time to blog and look at photos on Facebook, I have time for God. Also, my friend Elizabeth had been inviting me to a Bible study at her house for the past several years, and I always said, "Well, it's during nap time, so maybe when the baby's older?" And of course, that day never came. But the day did come when I realized that my priorities were not in order. And I had to admit to myself that it was the quiet hour and my own nap time that I didn't want to give up. What was more important to me, naps, or my relationship with God? I asked myself. Foregoing a nap once every two weeks was not going to break me or the baby. But having fellowship with other sisters and diving into the Bible had benefits that were far-reaching and life-giving. I made a choice and started attending the Bible study in September.

Second, I needed accountability. All my previous attempts to read through the Bible or read a chapter a day petered out after a few weeks. So when my friend Kristin asked if I would like to join her online "study", I said, "Sure!" And we, along with several other women, read through Psalm 119 in six weeks. We followed a schedule and used e-mail to share with each other what we learned. And after six weeks, I felt connected to these other women, even though we had not seen each other face to face. I learned to not just read through the Bible passage and close the book, but to S.O.A.P., which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. This acronym and the study comes from a great website called Love God Greatly. (I included their explanation of S.O.A.P. at the end of this post.) I've done three studies now with Kristin, and I am eager to do more in 2016!

Tomorrow, the sun will rise on a new day. Who knows what 2016 will bring for the Baird family? Who knows what lessons I will learn this year?

Though the questions sound rhetorical, they actually have an answer: God knows! And He knows what this year has in store for you too! I encourage you to seek God more courageously this year, whether it means spending more time in the Word, reaching out to more people, making a sacrifice, or being obedient.

Happy New Year!

What does S.O.A.P. mean?

S- The S stands for Scripture- You physically write out the scripture… you'll be amazed at what God will reveal to you just by taking the time to slow down and actually write out what you are reading!

O- The O stands for Observation- What do you see in the verses that you're reading? Who is the audience? Is there a repetition of words? What words stand out to you?

A- The A stands for Application- This is when God's Word becomes personal. What is God saying to me today? How can I apply what I just read to my own personal life? What canoes do I need to make? Is there an action that I need to take?

P- The P stands for Prayer. Pray God's Word back to Him. If He has revealed something to you during this time in His Word, pray about it. Confess if He has revealed some sin that is in your life.