In my previous blog post, I wrote about Esther, the stubborn cyst whose removal revealed a new suture allergy that killed off my skin. I wrote about how Lent Wound brought my focus to the ways that God brings life from death. That became my focus with my gallbladder. I had faith that this was a death that God had allowed and brought to light in order to bring new life. So far, so good. I've healed well and am actually doing much better than I have been for the last several years. As I suspected, Esther prevented 4 incisions from deteriorating instead of just one; I healed very well with the staples.
Besides leaving behind a nearly dead gallbladder and entering into 2019 with better health, here are a few other deaths that I see God using to bring new life in the upcoming year, as well as some new life that didn't result from some sort of death:
Volunteer Work: While going through the gallbladder issues, I left the place I had been volunteering for 6 years that assisted victims of domestic violence. I greatly enjoyed my time there and it is still close to my heart, but it became time to move on, especially as all my doctor appointments ended up having to be scheduled during that time. I decided to use the rest of the year to rest. Rest is vital; something we tend to forget. Now that I have rested, I will be contacting one of my local hospitals early this month to pursue a volunteer position as a baby cuddler. It's something that's been growing in my heart since early 2018 and I am both excited and nervous about it. I'm praying that it works out.
Work Work: One of my 2 babysitting jobs came to an end right before I had my gallbladder out. Things had changed in both of our lives that meant it would no longer work out. A plan was already in place for me to work my other babysitting job twice as much after surgery, though. That's a blessing that's being carried over into 2019. I'm currently in the best spot I've been financially in awhile.
Clutter: Fun fact about me: I can be pretty sentimental. Being so sentimental, however, can make it hard to get rid of stuff, and that tends to lead to difficult to manage clutter. One of the things going on mission trips has opened my eyes to is just how much stuff I have that I don't miss when I'm away from it and how much I could live without. Throughout 2018, I've been trying to get rid of a lot of that clutter. I ended 2018 last night throwing away another garbage bag and still have a ways to go as I enter 2019. 2019 will be a year of continuing to reduce clutter and hopefully create less in the first place. Another fun fact: de-cluttering can make you take a good hard look at some of your habits. It can make you disgusted with some of them, but that also makes you want to change for the better.
Photography: This one doesn't really from any sort of death or ending, just growth. One of my big goals for 2019 is to get some of my photography displayed in a local venue where it will be seen and can be purchased. Working more will provide me more financial ability to make this happen, so I guess in that sense, this is somewhat related to a 2018 casualty. This one is particularly exciting and terrifying for me. I'm not completely sure how to go about it or how my photography will be received, but it is a step that I plan on taking.
Age: Managed to forget this one when I originally published this post. The decade known as my 20's came to a close in November. I ended them with a fifth surgery hoping to leave frequent surgeries in my 20's nd have a few less in my 30's. The last decade was a hard lesson about life not looking anything like I once expected it would. I'm entering my 30's trying to go forward with what it is and create some new goals to work towards, but with a more open mind about what God might have in store for me.
Mattress: Ok, so this one's more for fun. Seriously, though, my gallbladder surgery was my last straw for my old spring mattress and memory foam topper that refused to stay in place. Wayfair had a great sale on memory foam mattresses in November and my parents got me one for Christmas. I'm going into 2019 sleeping better and not being in so much pain. It's actually a really wonderful thing!
I'm not usually a huge fan of New Year's Day, but this time, I am looking forward to 2019. Granted, I'm also a little nervous. With God, grace often comes in the form of death. This was the case with the cross- Christ died to bring new life. 2018 had a lot of endings for me, but I have faith that those endings were to make way for the new things that God is doing in 2019. I don't know what 2019 has in store for me, but I trust the One who is making a path that I can so far only see part of. I'm trusting that He who began these good works will be faithful to continue them. Philippians 1:6 was my verse for my gallbladder issues. I want to share a card I found while de-cluttering my room that I must have bought at some point and can't remember why.
I'm entering into 2019 believing that. I pray that 2019 comes with many blessings for all of you who read this. I pray that you will cling to God and feel His presence with you through all the ups and downs of this year and that your faith will remain strong. Happy New Year!
