'He will quiet you with his love'

{On the way from Queenstown to Milford Sound in New Zealand in 2009.}

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
--Zephaniah 3:17

The year has flown by. It's been good. And it's been a journey. We've been on all kinds of road trips, established priorities for our family, and grown closer to friends. We're not the same. We're changed and challenged and encouraged and blessed and motivated by what's happened in our ordinary, everyday lives this year.

The year 2011 ends today, but this journey doesn't end here. It continues. We still have kids to raise, family and friends to love, meals to share, places to go, things to learn, games to play, and stories to create.

Knowing that, I wanted to pick a promise to hold onto. Because some days are hard. Being a mom requires energy and patience that I don't always have. But I want to have it. And I know if I trust God and cling to his truths, I can come out better than I went in.

And that's my hope. I hope my stubborn, controlling tendencies are quieted with God's faithfulness. I hope my opinions and reactions are quieted with God's truth. I hope my impatient, hurried ways are quieted with God's everlasting love. I hope my plans are quieted with God's promises to continue his work in me.

Because God is with me.

He is mighty to save. Over and over again.

He delights in me. And my husband. And my kids. And you.

He will quiet me with his love.

And he will rejoice over me with singing.

Inspired by Ali Edwards and a Compassion International blogging prompt, I want to choose a word for 2012: QUIET. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not going to sit down and let the year pass me by. But I do want my words and actions to speak clearly and not be cluttered by unnecessary jumbled distractions. My hope is I will know when I need to speak up, when I need to shut my mouth, and when I need to listen and learn. For all of that to happen, God has to quiet some of me and make himself known in my life.

With that, may 2012 begin ...
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I'm not good with resolutions, but new years are good times to start fresh. You can look back on what was on my mind to start 2011 and 2010. Want more? Subscribe to get "Insights" in your inbox. Or follow me on Twitter.