Renewed Strength. Renewed Hope.

As the last month of the year unfolds and we prepare for the celebration of Christmas and the start of a new year, I find myself reflecting over the whirlwind that was 2012. It was a year filled with many good moments, and yet more than a few disappointments and setbacks. To be honest, as I look back over this year, I feel like I've been through both the fire and the flood. Wilderness seasons are tough! By God's grace, I'm still standing—weakened and a bit weary, perhaps, but still standing.

Along the route I sometimes travel from my parents home to mine, I pass by a church that like most has a sign with the week's message/sermon topic. For the past few weeks, the following message has been posted:

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

I would like to say that I was immediately comforted by this message. I wasn't. But after some time, some pondering... Renewed strength. Renewed hope. Sounds like the perfect way to begin the last month of a challenging year.