one year.

one year ago yesterday i officially hit the highway to make the 5 day drive to seattle. that day was actually supposed to be august 31st, but that day also happened to be the day that i found out my hand was, indeed, broken. it was also one of the last days that i wore shorts.

(somewhere on a highway in utah)

i've lived in seattle for an entire year! and what a year it has been. it's been fun to look back at everything that has happened...i've learned a lot in the past 365 days.

i've experienced the provision of the Lord time and time again. from getting accepted into the internship when there was nothing that really merited me doing so, to finding community and a church right off the bat, to my family and friends supporting me every step of the way, to everything that came together for me to live where i live now (with amazing roommates), to being offered a job before i even applied. things have been coming together left and right, in the sovereignty and good provision of the Lord.

it's also been a hard year in a lot of ways, in the sense that i've been challenged to learn a lot of practical real life things. i've learned what it looks like to handle hard things, namely, to call out sin, and to deal with confrontation biblically. that sweeping things under the rug and pretending they don't happen isn't just living a fake life, it's cheapening the grace that is the gospel. i've come to understand that confronting sin is the more loving than letting people live in it, though it's often beyond awkward and unconfortable at the time. and, on the flip side, been learning to welcome being called out in my own sin. i'm thankful for friends that are willing to push me to be more like Jesus rather than let me live in complacency.

i've learned that everything has a season. when i look back at my time here, i see three distinct time frames. september to december was marked by fun fun times, lots of silliness, and a community that was social and outgoing. january was a month of transition. february to may was a season of being in a relational desert. i learned how to pray diligently for things that i deeply hoped for, all the while understanding what it meant to rest in the sovereignty of the Lord. i was blessed by a few deep relationships that loved me well and sought out my heart. june to august was a season of growth, and learning to learn from those around me. i've watched as relationships that were broken have been restored, as plenty of new ones have developed, and as those that i was afraid of losing have proved true and deep. it's also been a season of fun fun fun in the outdoor wonderland that is summertime in the pacific northwest. and just when i thought that i would be climbing mountains alone all summer, the Lord provided the perfect community to adventure with.

also in that third season i've been blessed to be a part of a community group comprising of all married couples. plus me. and, recently, one other single gal. i chose that group for a reason- there's SO much to be learned in that environment. but that learning doesn't just come via osmosis. it takes effort to be real and vulnerable and exposed, to seek out the families in my group and pick their brains about everything from dating and marriage, to theology, to the best recipes to make with arugula. i've had to learn to trust them, and that while i can't take my kids on a play date to the park because i don't have any, or go on a double date because i'm single, there are plenty of ways to be a part of each other's lives. they have been good to remind me that it's a blessing for them as well as for me, and gracious to include me as their third or fifth or seventh wheel :) i've loved watching them do life, and being a part of it.

i've also come to understand that sanctification is a part of everyday life. rather than building things up in my head to the point where every bit of conflict or every occasion of not being in control is almost a catastrophe, i've watched as those in my community have modeled that those things are just a part of life, and in them, we grow. i had the opportunity to hear a speaker named steve timmis speak on living in community several weeks ago, and he said something that i remember clearly: "the people who drive me the most crazy are the ones that the Lord is using to sancify me the most." living in community gives opportunity to exercise the things that the Lord calls us to do most frequently, namely to forgive, to be patient, to love when we don't feel like it.

see how good the Lord is??

"only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life." deuteronomy 4:9

i could go on and on, but this post is getting long enough. now that i'm officially a registered dietitian (aka no more LONG days of studying), i'll write more soon :)

love,
tracey