AMY LARSON
Staff Writer
What a year it has been. I am not certain I have any last words of wisdom. In fact, I am quite certain that all of those who know me possess far more wisdom than I have to share.
This year, those around me, and often people I barely know, have taught me that God is present in many different things. Not in a relativistic way — not one of those, “I’m God, you’re God, we’re all God” type of feel-good things.
But you have shown me that God is present outside of the box I sometimes squeeze him into and in the people and places where I sometimes deem him absent.
This year, my greatest moments of spiritual growth were not contingent on whether I was at church or on an elaborate mission trip; rather, they were reliant on who was around me, the conversations we had, and the reactions that were given.
This year, you have taught me that patience is more than a virtue. There is true beauty in it. I have watched some of you wait earnestly on a decision or a job, only to receive results you did not expect.
Instead of giving up, I watched you wait patiently for what was next, unfazed by the swerve in the road, knowing that whatever God had laid ahead was far better.
Your patience has been outweighed only by your perseverance, a trait that I stand in awe of on a consistent basis. Tough times come to everyone, but I admired so many of you as I watched you handle them.
Most of all, your lives have taught me humility. I have recognized how much I do not know by hearing your questions, watching your lives, and following your examples.
I have learned so much just watching how those around me live.
All that you have taught me is a testament to God’s faithfulness. God is so incredibly faithful.
In absolutely, positively, every single situation. There were times this year where I felt so stagnant, like I was not even alive spiritually, and God used a conversation to give me a jolt.
There are times when I was confused, and God has brought clarity through a note or an e-mail.
Those around me have made me laugh, made me cry, but most of all, made me think, and for that I am eternally grateful. Never doubt that God uses each of you in ways you are not even aware.
You are having a greater impact than you can even fathom. And that is the beauty about God. We are nothing, less than nothing, but he still loves us, still uses us to aid others.
I am so amazed by God’s faithfulness to us even when we are not faithful to Him. What is even more astounding (and humbling) is that his faithfulness is only the beginning of the beauty of God.
This year, I have learned that I cannot do anything of any merit or value on my own.
I have learned that if I have anything, it is because of God’s grace. If I know anything, it is from God’s love. If I can do anything, it is through God’s strength.
04-05-2007