2011
2011 has been the biggest year of my life by far. It stretched my capacity, tested my character and grew me as a person. New responsibilities came my way, responsibilities that both petrified and excited me. 2011 taught me much about the ‘L’ word, leadership. It taught me the absolute necessity of balance, prayer and consistency (all of which I am still working out). It taught me that saying yes to God’s call despite my doubts, fears and weaknesses is the most powerful thing that I can do with my life. 2011 taught me that sheer obedience is the path to being chosen by God. I began to learn how to run in the grace that God has given me in my life and to have enough guts to expose my dreams, visions and hopes. It also taught me that people I have surrounded myself with, have had a profound impact on my life and on the man I’m slowly becoming.
2011 was a year of more opened doors than I could have possibly imagined. It taught me that God works out his plans for our lives years in advance, through people and situations that we could never guess. I learnt that the fruit of this year was a direct result of the prayers of the previous and that the God-ideas I had pursued earlier in my life had now grown from a small seed that seemed so insignificant, into a tree much bigger than me, a tree filled with new relationships and opportunities.
2011 gave me the privilege of meeting new mentors as well as continuing to realise the incredible impact of my old coaches. Another ‘world’ was added to mine with my new job in Adelaide, a job that had the fingerprints of God all over it. The ‘job’ was more than job and I already know I’ll never be the same because of the experience so far. This year also taught me the value of reading and learning as I realised how much it is possible to read, retain and grow in a single day.
I learnt that diving into the God-guided unknown, and heading into situations and places that scared me beyond-belief was one of the best ways to see God move in my life and grow my character. For maybe the first time, I understood through trial and error, the incredible importance of prayer and in spending time with my Lord. I learnt that prayer shrinks my pride. 2011 taught me (and is still teaching me!) the importance of being humble and recognizing that everything I possess is grace upon grace. Most of all 2011 gave me the first glimpses of my calling which was equally amazing as it was daunting.
The start of 2012 will mean the start of a long decision process into the unknown but if there is one thing 2011 has taught me, it’s that it really is possible to do “All things through Christ who strengthens me”
