42 orbits around the sun ... mission accomplished

Well, here we are. I’ve just completed my 42nd orbit around the sun … and yes! I’m trying to make being old more palatable and to sound more adventurous than what it is. From one point of view, many of the last 365 days have been nothing but a dumpster fire. But from Heaven’s point of view, the dumpster fire was really the Refiner’s Fire … managed by the nail-scarred Refiner Himself. As with every situation in life, I have a choice of how I will view the last year of my life. I, personally, opt for the second option. Because it is there that I find my hope. My comfort. And even my joy.

To honor and give thanks to the LORD Jesus … the Refiner … for sustaining me another year, here are 42 learned lessons, bestowed blessings, and sustaining Scriptures from the last 365 days of living. The prayer of my heart is that you will see Jesus … in the good, the bad, and the ugly …

He is the One who sustains us all of our days, come what may.

1. There is hope, help, and healing after a mental breakdown … The journey to healing is harder than you could ever imagine, but it is one worth taking with rewards that are priceless.
2. There is an abundance of grace, mercy, and love in the fight to overcome something like complex-PTSD.
3. Speaking against any form of abuse/sin/evil will make people hate you … even those who call themselves Christians will hate you … Keep speaking out against it, though, in ways that are appropriate.
4. The LORD protects and defends His children.
5. Life is hard. We must daily “choose our hard.”
6. We’re all a little weird! And if someone denies it, they’re lying.
7. The God of the Bible transcends all time … all cultures … all languages … all religions … demonstrating that He is, indeed, the one true God!
8. Coffee is a divine gift from God! And the best coffee is at Good Mood Café in Independence, MS … and since I’m a professional coffee drinker, I should know!
9. All relationships need boundaries. Without them, you set yourself up for major issues … including, but not limited to … co-dependency, manipulation, lying, and gaslighting.
10. God works through our brokenness to accomplish His eternal purposes.
11. Job 12:22 NIV. “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.” … I watched Him do this last year, firsthand. And I am forever grateful! With His light comes deliverance and healing.
12. Having people challenge my faulty thinking is a blessing … especially when it’s rooted in Scripture and delivered with a heart of love.
13. A family that worships and prays together, stays together.
14. Christians have the best kind of fun!
15. Being pushed in my writing abilities recently has led to growth, and it's given me lots of ideas for projects.
16. To sit under expositional preaching is refreshing! Without consistent expositional preaching, one is opening themselves up to much error. Contrary to the beliefs of folks I know, your theology matters! Having a correct theology is based upon the WHOLE of Scripture left in its context, not from bits and pieces of Scripture that are ripped kicking & screaming out of context.
17. To be completely & unconditionally loved brings courage.
18. The LORD specializes in the redemption of the vilest of sins … making miracles out of messes … and He gloriously capitalizes on making Himself known as He continues to build a friendship between an ex-wife and “the other woman.”
19. The darkness is as light to Jesus.
20. Romans 12:1-2 NLT. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice. The kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” This, my Friend, is the biblical way to deal with what psychologists and psychiatrists call rewiring the brain/neuroplasticity.
21.  Music heals one’s heart. And calms the mind.
22. No earthly part of my identity … my mental deficiencies, my DNA, my history, etc … compares to the glory of my identity in Christ Jesus. He gets to say who I am! Because He made me!
23. There is no task too insignificant when it is done for the glory of Jesus Christ.
24. A person cannot give you what they don’t have. If someone habitually doesn’t love, habitually doesn’t show grace, habitually doesn’t forgive … the problem might not be you. It could, very well, be that the other person knows nothing of biblical love, biblical grace, or biblical forgiveness. Once you’ve done all you can to be at peace with them according to the Scriptural mandates laid out in the New Testament, walk away from abusiveness with a heart open to restoration at a later date. And never cease to pray for them.
25. Jo March is my hero! And I have my very own Marmee … two actually. One here at home. And one who lives in Canada.
26. Canada is, thus far, my favorite country to visit. And Alberta is way more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen in the United States. Prove me wrong! 
27. Multi-generational friendships are life-giving gifts from God to us.
28. Truth is NOT subjective! There is no such thing as “my truth versus your truth” … that is a lie from the pit of hell! There is only ONE truth. His name is Jesus. John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
29. To dwell in unity does NOT mean to be the same. Nor does it mean a relationship without conflict … to be unified means living in harmony. At times agreeing to disagree. In music, it’s called “dissonance” … and it resolves itself. We, who profess to be Christians, are called to live in unity. Psalm 133:1. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
30. In all areas of our lives, we must strive to be (and remain) balanced.
31. Trials are meant to transform us. 2 Corinthians 3:18. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
32. When will the LORD return? Contrary to popular belief … Jesus tells us in Matthew when He will return. Matthew 24:14 says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Nations in Scripture aren’t political entities (that’s a man-made concept); nations are people groups. According to The Joshua Project, there are approximately 17,446 people groups around the world. Of those, 7,276 people groups are unreached! That’s 42% (according to THEIR math because I can’t math) … 42%!!! We have work to do, Brothers and Sisters!
33. The peace of Christ doesn’t eradicate grief, heartache, trials or pain. It sustains you and strengthens you in those hardships. John 14:27. Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He says: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
34. From a biblical view, PUNISHMENT and DISCIPLINE are not the same thing. Punishment leads to condemnation; whereas, discipline leads to transformation. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
35. There is joy in knowing, loving, and serving Jesus. 1 Peter 1:8 NIV. “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy …”
36. Everything should be tested against the sacred Scriptures. If there is a check in your spirit regarding something a pastor or teacher has said, what an author has written, or concerning the words spoken by a friend, PLEASE DO NOT DISCOUNT THAT CHECK IN YOUR SPIRIT!!! Hebrews 2:1. “Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
37. 2 Timothy 1:7. “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.” The LORD is the One who brings ultimate mental stability … through a variety of means … counseling and/or medication. Medication may, indeed, be needed. After all, we live in a fallen world! There’s no shame in being on medication. BUT medication alone does nothing but provide a temporary mental placebo-type solution. Medication MUST be in conjunction with the daily saturation of Scripture reading coupled with ACCURATE biblical counseling … Long-term mental stability can be found on THIS path. Ask me how I know, I dare you! 
38. Galatians 5:1 says, “Christ has set us free for freedom. Therefore, stand firm and do not submit to the bondage of slavery again.”
39. John 1:5. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Life’s darkness can be too much! It is sometimes so dark that it’s ridiculous! We’ve all known it. A darkness so thick that you can’t see your hand in front of your face … and all sense of maintaining your bearings is gone! BUT GOD! The Light – who is Jesus Christ Himself – isn’t overwhelmed or overcome by it. No! He dispels it!!
40. Multiple times over the last year, I was told to “guard my heart.” From potential relationships (that ended quick, fast, & in a hurry) to decisions needing to be made to even what I believed, the counsel was “guard your heart.” At first, I thought the counsel was given just because my person was looking out for me because she loves me like I belong to her … which she was … but her counsel was rooted in something far deeper than her heart for me. It was rooted in Scripture! Proverbs 4:23. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
41. Anything. ANYTHING! Anything that causes me to need God is a blessing!!
42. Face your fears … even if you feel you can’t breathe … face them and LIVE! Live life to its fullest potential, allowing God to squeeze out of you all that He put into you … for His name’s sake! For His glory! And may He increase while I decrease!

Thank you, dear Friend, for hanging out with me here. This last orbit around the sun wasn’t easy, and it broke me to the point I didn’t really recognize myself … but it was in that very brokenness and weakness that I’ve seen Christ in greater measure. High and lifted up. Holy. And worthy to be praised!
Here's to another orbit around the sun!
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~ a 42-year-old fellow pilgrim heading for the Celestial City ~