Welcome to 2020! Even though there’s nothing special about January 1, each year it feels like an opportunity for new adventures as well as a time to reflect on all that the Lord accomplished and brought me through in the past year. Remembering how God met me in the past refreshes my mind for the unknowns of today. My New Year seems to have begun this past August.

In August, my husband and I went on our RevWild Expedition following 8 weeks of training. We are flatlanders with a love for the mountains and their wild beauty. It was a decade since I went backpacking, and the comfort of easy access to anything I need or want was in sharp contrast to our minimalist packing list. The guides checked our packs and led us off into the backcountry.

The second morning, we were invited to get up at 4 am to hike up to the Continental Divide. My body desperately wanted to stay in my warm sleeping bag, but the Holy Spirit whispered about some unknown goodness I’d find at the top of the mountain. His excitement is often enough to stir my curiosity. So I got up from my warm sleeping bag, grabbed my pack, and joined the rest of my team. The pace was comfortable, but the terrain was foreign and a much higher elevation than I enjoy at home. The natural quietness of sleepy hikers offered time for reflection.

About six months prior to the expedition, the Lord spoke to both my husband and me that the current season of our lives would end at the time of that expedition and a new chapter would begin. So we hiked up the mountain knowing that life as we knew it would look entirely different after the expedition was over. On the precipice of the new season, I had no clue what to expect. But, the Lord equipped me with peace for the unknown road ahead. He knew the path ahead intimately and invited us to trust that He would set the pace and lead us well.

Our group hiked in the cold and the dark for a couple of hours. The sun eventually rose to light the path, but we still remained in the shadow of the mountain. The closing chapter of our lives had felt similar to that moment: a longing for rest in my weariness, aching for the sun to shine on places in my life that felt like perpetual shadows. Something new and unknown lay around the corner.

At the top of a ridge overlooking valleys, shadows, and wildlife in both directions, the vista was breathtaking. I felt so tiny on top of that mountain combined with an overwhelming sense of being known and loved. The Creator, who made everything I could see for miles and considers the mountains as his footstool, also knows the deep cries of my heart, the sense of loss I carried from a previous season and my desperate longing for him to bring my family into a peaceful, spacious place. He brought me up that mountain to remind me who He is and who I am. The deafening silence at the top was brimming with His presence, which was the very thing I needed to move into the new chapter of our lives.

As we move into the new year, we walk not in fear of the unknown but with the confident knowledge that we are loved by our faithful and true Father. He never changes and is always available to His children. We remember His faithfulness in the past, how He has carried us through what we thought would crush us, how He gave us unshakable hope, how He grieved with us over an unspeakable loss and somehow turned our mourning into dancing. Then we step off into new territory knowing that our Guide knows the way and will never leave our side as we climb.

I invite you to ring in the New Year by enjoying the Holy Spirit in a breathing prayer and through a series of journaling questions.

Breathe in: The Lord goes before me.

Breathe out: I will follow You.

JOURNALING QUESTIONS

1. What is the Lord asking you to walk with him into this year?
2. What is He inviting you to lay down?
3. What is he offering you to pick up?
4. Where is He going, and will you follow Him there?
5. Have you asked the Lord what goals he wants you to have?
6. What are the dreams that He is fanning into a flame in your heart?

Whether you’re ready to hit the ground running this year or you are still trying to catch your breath from last year, the Lord’s presence will sustain you through whatever lies ahead. The quiet moments of the day hold a wealth of treasure to be discovered with our kind Father. The path ahead may be unmarked, wild territory, but the Holy Spirit knows the way, and He will always be with you. Every moment is an opportunity to look for Him and follow His lead.

In the comments, answer the question: What adventures is He inviting you into this year?

Amanda is a wife to Travis, mom to Asher (7), Annalise (5), Benjamin (3), and Judah (1), and a Revelation Wellness instructor (Platoon 19). She loves getting outside to enjoy nature, dance parties with her family in the kitchen, and enjoying coffee and conversation with new and old friends.

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Workout with us in this #wednesdayworkout! For more workouts like this, visit RevWell TV!

TRISHA’S CARDIO DRUMSTICKS – “HE IS WITH US”

Grab your paint stir sticks, whatever you can click together and get ready to move to the beat. This workout will be a
surprisingly fun and challenging time! May your heart and lungs move in time with His beating love for you. (BEGINNER) (JOHN 1:14; DRUMSTICKS)