Around Thanksgiving every year I become rather contemplative… maybe it’s the change of the weather.  Maybe it’s the grateful pondering that truly settles in ahead of Thanksgiving.  Whatever it is, I welcome it.  It sounds cliché, but I truly do contemplate the meaning of life.  I reflect on the year … the ups and downs, the gifts (temporal and spiritual), the progress made, accomplishments and failures, dreams not yet met, and those things I keep praying to come to fruition.

And the inward reflection eventually turns to the “theme” for the year… that theme that I felt was meant to be, this time last year when I was doing this same thing.  I reflect on what I learned from it, if I’m ready to move on from it, if I’ve truly grasped the theme … and if I have, what is the theme for this next year.  (But that’s jumping ahead a bit.)

The theme for 2014 (which stemmed from overwhelming doubts about myself and a strong sense of inadequacy) was BELOVED.

To touch on this thought from earlier this year, check out this post.  I am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The journey this theme has taken me on has been spectacular!

I mean SPECTACULAR!  The highs of this theme were very HIGH, and the lows were OH-SO-LOW!!!  There truly are no words …

I am just ever so grateful for the promises in Psalm 139 … our Heavenly Father knows all and is always present.  (And is greater than the highs and lows, by the way!)

He created us just the way we are, and we were created in HIS IMAGE!  I am beyond grateful for the reminder that my identity lies in Him… and not my own meager attempts.

Because I am messy.  I am imperfect.  I am full of faults.  Existence is messy.  And yet He is IN the chaos.  He is IN the mess.  He works through ME!  Despite my chaos and mess and internal turmoil.

Afterall, He made it.  Me and my mess and all.  He made it.  And to borrow lyrics from a song (which I literally just heard THIS week, for the first time) “All praises to the one who made it all, who made it all.  All praises to the one who made it all, and finds it beautiful.” (Gungor, Crags and Clay)

Did you catch that?  He made it all.  He made me and my messy existence.  And He finds it beautiful.

::: exhale :::

Tears streaming at this reality… deep breath of gratitude… acceptance of His love fortifies my soul.  I am His Beloved.  And now, 12 months later… I am ready to move to the theme for 2015.  But first let me share a song or two with you…  YouTube:  Crags and Clay 

Crags And Clay

Standing up from crags and clay

The peaks of earth

In full display

They break the lines

That break the sky

That’s full of life

Full of life

 

The chaos of creation’s dance

A tapestry, a symphony

Of life himself

Of love herself

It’s written in our very skin

 

All praises to the one who made it all

Who made it all

All praises to the one who made it all

And finds it beautiful

 

Soil is spilling life to life

Stars are born

To fill the night

The ocean’s score

The majesty

Of sculpted shore

Mystery

 

All praises…

Fearfully and wonderfully and beautifully made

 

And AS IF I needed something else to drive it home… Gungor has another song that hits it out of the ballpark when it comes to this topic.  I’ve included the lyrics below, but click here for the YouTube link:  Beautiful Things

 

 Beautiful Things

All this pain

I wonder if I’ll ever find my way

I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth

Could all that is lost ever be found

Could a garden come up from this ground at all

 

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

 

All around

Hope is springing up from this old ground

Out of chaos life is being found in You

 

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

 

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

 

You make me new, You are making me new

You make me new, You are making me new

 

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things

You make beautiful things out of us

 

So, I leave you with you with this.  If this is a struggle for you… read and contemplate the depths of Psalm 139.