Surrounded by Promises

Monday, January 27, 2014 Posted by Sara

33.

It's the age that Jesus was said to have been when he died.
It's also the age I became last week.

I am very happy to be 33. Grateful for 33 years of life and I had a gracious week of recognizing beautiful ways God has blessed me all these years. But as a single woman in my thirties, there's a part of me that grieves a little the years that pass with no sign of marriage, no celebrating my children, wondering how much time I'll have with my grandkids. We all have those dreams that we wonder about - are they dead? Is there still hope?

But - 33.
It's also the age that Jesus ROSE again.

This year I was captivated by this thought that this was the year in Jesus' life where one season ended and another began - one filled with promises and hope and impossibilities coming to pass. It was the beginning of His resurrection years. I treasured that thought as a declaration in my own life - this is a season of seeing dead dreams come back to life - of seeing hope restored, of dreaming without limit.

One of my dearest friends gave me a special ring for my birthday. Around it are multicolored gems. She said that sometimes mothers wear jewelry with their children's birthstones on them, and that when she saw the ring, the Lord spoke to her of His promises to me - that He hadn't forgotten one. The ring was a reminder that He is faithful. I was called to birth things - perhaps children, perhaps dreams.

As I look towards 2014, I wear this ring to remind me of a God who cares for me, who is attentive to me, whose promises are sure. He is One who is faithful to complete the good things he started. I look towards this year with expectation - that I will grow in love and wisdom and knowing more who Jesus is. In the end, it's not really about the dreams or promises - it's about the Jesus they reveal to me.

Quite simply. He is like no other, and I am mesmerized by the journey of knowing Him more.

"Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor;

because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband" says the Lord.

²“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back;
lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Isaiah 54:1-3