The direction of your heart - 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Originally written January 1, 2003; edited January 2015

"May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5 ESV

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and have found this new year to be a pleasant one thus far. The start of a new year seems to always bring a breath of fresh air to me. No matter how good or bad the previous year was, something about a "new year" screams new beginning, starting over, a blank canvas, a new chapter. And so, we start of a new chapter: 2015. I love new chapters of life.

As I look back on 2014, I have mixed emotions. The past year had some hardships. There were relational strains experienced, deep, deep grief and loss alongside friends... and of my own, lots of frustrations, bewildering events and seasons (potty training... all year - need I say more?!), busy schedules, and some insanely profound heartache. It was undoubtedly a tough year.

And yet, this same year that is rightly classified in any of the above categories was also a year of rich, rich blessings. I experienced and witnessed incredible growth, miracles of so many kinds, new friendships, deeper friendships, precious new memories, fun adventures, and intense rejoicing. I am truly amazed considering the juxtaposition of this past year and overwhelmed with joy at all that happened. The Lord so faithfully and patiently grew and blessed me through it all. Even the hard parts.

I have no idea why the Lord chose to give us the year behind exactly as He did, or why He's chosen to give us what will come in this new, unknown year. Nevertheless, the Lord has impressed upon my heart a prayer I want to be praying for my boys (husband included!), others, and myself. It is Paul's words in this passage.

May the Lord direct your/their/my heart(s) to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 

Fill in the pronoun desired, and this passage is so rich! These words encourage me to no end knowing that regardless of situation or circumstance, good or bad, hard or easy, confusing or straightforward, the Lord is directing my heart to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. In the realm of uncharted territory such as a new year, it's comforting to know that the One who has already charted this course is directing my heart and my path... and it's directed to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ.

Being the word geek that I am, I looked up "direct" to expand on the meaning and gain a better understanding. Word searches often enlighten my study of the Word and help solidify God's truth in my mind, as was the case with this passage. While I don't know the exact Greek meaning for the word translated to "direct," just flushing out the English definition alone was powerful! It means to guide, tell, show the way to, aim, or point to something, just to name a few. This really spoke to me about how faithful the Lord is to use everything (yes, everything) to direct us, point us, show us His great love and the steadfastness of Christ.

Yet, do I have eyes to see this, even when the smokescreen of life tries to conceal it? 

Do you?

I admit, I don't always have the eyes to see or the heart to trust this is true. Sometimes I let my circumstances scream too loud. I allow my lack of understanding to trump God's infinite understanding. How I pray to trust Him more this year, to wait on Him, and to believe and really know that in and through all things God is and will be directing my heart to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. What a wonderful direction of our hearts!

As I begin to dip into the year ahead, just barely putting my toes in at the edge, I'm ever so thankful for Paul's words to cling to, look to, and pray through this year. For I know that wherever the Lord leads me, whatever path He takes me down, whether the terrain is complex, foreboding and seemingly impassable or wide open spaces, He is always directing my heart, pointing me to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ.

This year probably won't go exactly how I hoped or planned, but it will go exactly how my gracious, loving, and steadfast heavenly Father planned. Let us never forget the direction of our hearts this year and always. Remember... and, as often as you need, join me in praying Paul's words while traveling along the road of 2015.

In Christ's steadfastness and God's love,
Jessica