Did you see what I see? - a year reflection

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So it is Christmas....and soon enough, the end of the year.  One of our family traditions is for me to put together a year review movie and to show it to family at our dinner gathering.

But there is more to it than just putting together a slide. Putting this together takes me back to all the things we saw, did and learned in the year.

So I find myself hearing God asking me...

Did you see what I see?

1.  What did you see in your son?

He is no longer a baby.  I know it's almost cliche to say it but time really does feel like it's flying by.   It has been a year of discovering who he is and how to manage emotions God gave Him.  It has been a year of finally being let to play Minecraft.  I have seen him grow stronger in mind, body and spirit.  We have journeyed with him through hard times of learning.  We have been proud of him seeing him try his best and to face challenges in his early life head on.  We have seen him discover new talents like loving languages like his mama.  And we have seen him hunger spiritually to understand and develop a more real and personal relationship with Jesus.  I love it when he (and his sister) pause us in the middle of worship singing at church to ask us questions about the words we sing.

Samuel's Year




2.  What did you see in your daughter?

This was THE year the first tooth fell!  We have seen her discover her own likes and dislikes.  She loves to read and to create stories.  She says she would like to write a book.  She is developing a liking to singing and is beginning to really thrive in piano.  She is definitely the quieter of the two but we have seen her come out of her shell this year in a big way.  She is a thinker and often asks challenging questions, especially when it comes to faith issues.


Sarah's Year

3.  What did you see in yourselves?

This year we continued to see God's prompting us to reach out and be His hands and feet right where we are, but also stretching beyond our comfort zones.  We are thankful for the opportunity to serve Him in our church family, through our community and through many partnerships.  Sandy's job has opened up so many opportunities to connect with people outside our circles and it has been humbling, stretching but also so rewarding and encouraging to do so.

God has challenged us to reflect on the meaning of letting God teach us (prune us) and being part of community (John 15), on giving joyfully, on seeking wisdom and discernment (James 1) and on the true meaning of joy, peace and love.

 Here is a little gift for you - my daughter asked me to record her read and then that turned into our small project of putting together this slide show.  Little did I know listening to this over and over while putting this together would be God's way to cause me to pause and reflect on 2015 and onto 2016.  May it be a blessing to you too!

The Parable of the Pine Tree





We are thankful for the lessons, for the reflections, for His Provisions and for showing us The Way.  For Friends and Family.  For Community.  For Jobs and a Home.  And for so so so much more.

To you, our friends and family, we treasure your friendship!!!!  And we pray that not only will you have a great 2016 but that it will be filled with the same Hope, Love, Joy and Peace we have.  That 2016 will be filled with moments where you can indeed SEE WHAT GOD wants you to SEE...with your Physical eyes, Spiritual eyes and Emotional eyes alike!

2015 Lam's Adventures



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