Ask and Imagine

Happy New Year, dear blog readers!

Our family has had a tradition of spending New Year's Day in a sort of at-home mini-spiritual-retreat. We worship, share, talk about the past year, go off for quiet time alone with our Bibles and ask God for a theme or direction for the coming year... perhaps an area of our character He is working on, or a new direction for our focus.

With our children grown, this year Hubby and I held our mini-retreat as a couple. It was fun looking back over the year and remembering our themes.

My word for 2011 was HOPE. That wasn't an easy theme for me. I entered the year feeling rather hopeless. Health setbacks had been discouraging for several years, which also led to career and ministry being on the shelf, and also brought a lot of isolation and loss in relationships. However, nudged by God, I agreed to write bonus material for the three Restorer books in preparation for new releases - so I was leaning on God as I hoped to be able to do the work.

Then in the spring, God also led me to an opportunity to write devotions for Mornings with Jesus. Each day was difficult. There wasn't energy or strength to spare. But somehow as I kept hoping in Him, He enabled little steps each day that would have been impossible without His grace.

For 2012, the theme that He brought to mind is "Ask and Imagine." I remembered how Jesus told the disciples that ,"You have not, because you do not ask." And also how He delights in giving us beyond what we ask and imagine. Since I'm beginning work on full-length fiction again after several years away, I'm also praying for God to enliven my imagination. So there are several ways the theme applies to my life.

Here's my verse for the year, and I share it also as a prayer for each of you reading this:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." --Ephesians 3:20-21

Blessings in 2012!
His,
Sharon Hinck