rachat

Happy New Years friends!! This is the fourth year that I have ever joined in on the "pick a word for the year train". Every year as I start to pray about the upcoming year and ask the Lord for a word and for some scripture verses for the year I am always amazed at how the Lord leads. As the year unfolds I am continuously amazed at how uniquely this word will come into play in encouraging me, reminding me of God's unique grace and love, and the way that I see His plan unfold in unique ways. 

In the three previous years that I have done this I chose the following words:

Anew (2016)
Mettle (2015)
Valor (2014)

Over the past few months as I have prayed about 2017, the Lord kept bringing to mind the themes of redemption and restoration. These are two words that I have always prayed for my life over this health journey, but in the last few months I truly felt the Lord impressing upon my hear these two themes for this year. So as I continued to pray I felt the Lord bring these two words together into one perfect word:

Rachat is a french word that means: 
(1) redemption
(2) restoration 

Granted, it is not a word that is "common" or used everyday but the definitions sum up exactly what I pray for for this coming year. You may be wondering why I chose the french word for this year and I can't wait to share more with you on Wednesday about my goals for this upcoming year and will explain the unique reason I have chosen the french word. 

This word is perfect for many areas of my life, but as this battle for my health continues to be very difficult and demanding and I want to meet this challenge with the hope of what is coming and the full belief that the Lord is bring full redemption and restoration. I want to persevere and yet live fully in this season. As I lean on the Lord's strength to conquer the "unknowns" of what lies ahead with my health, healing, relationships, my professional life, my shop, my writing, and some personal circumstances I can rest fully in the knowledge that His strength is going to give me the joy to face these demanding and difficult situations and bring about a victory that I could never imagine. Finally, I want to be a good soldier for the Lord in this difficult situation and have the quality of temperament to face the pain of illness, the strength to believe in the impossible, and the lovely peace that comes from trusting a Sovereign God fully without fear.

There are some verses in scripture the the Lord kept bringing me back to as I prayed through this upcoming year and two have really become "my verses" for this 2017 year:

"For I will restore your health to you, your wounds I will heal" declares the Lord."

-Jeremiah 30:17

"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter..."

-Joel 2:25-

A lot of time as a young sick gal I find myself facing the truth that I struggle with this season being one of "crumbling". To be honest, it is not a lot of fun. *smiles* The other day I was moaning and complaining to the Lord and saying, "hasn't there been enough pain?" "hasn't there been enough sickness?" "haven't I endured enough on this journey?" 

And the Lord quietly replied, "My child, I love you. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame scorch you." (Isaiah 43:1) 

I am humbled by the Lord's love that so graciously puts up with my complaining. How great His love is for His children. BUT... I admit that I have been dealing with some deep grief behind the scenes. Recently I have felt such a tug-of-war about wishing this story was different. I have cried many tears about the deep aching dreams that I see others receiving and living while I struggle to get out of bed some days. My "successes" of the day often revolve around things that would seem small to the rest of the world. I haven't talked about it much on this blog but it has been a death ... a relinquishing of many many dreams on this long journey. There have been many tears that have been spent on this tender subject. Many tears wondering if my greatest dreams of being married and being a mama will come true. Even writing those words and reading them is difficult as I surrender to the Lord. 

But in the midst of this the Lord has promised redemption and restoration. I don't claim to know exactly what that will look like in my life or the way that it will manifest itself. I know that it will look unique and the way that the Lord will write the story and I trust His best ways. 

The Lord is staring to beautiful restore and redeem. He is bringing rachat into my life in unique and tender and gracious ways. 

So that is my "word" for the year friends! Did y'all pick a "word" for this year? I would love to hear about it and what the significance is to you!!

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, at the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, when he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, and when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."

 -CS Lewis-