Becoming Virtuous

This time of year is when I typically will post a fall un-appreciation post. But this year is different.

God has been working on me hardcore this year. (Honestly, He probably has been for many years, I’m only just now starting to be more receptive to it. ) At the beginning of this year, He convicted me of my tendency to despair and melancholy. It felt like He was inviting me—reminding me—to find my peace and hope in Him alone, and to seek out and celebrate the daily mercies He was showing me. So I chose “joy” as my word of the year, and prayed that God would cause me to walk in that.

And then 2020 happened.

But you know what? God has been faithful. There have certainly been times I’ve been discouraged, angry, fretful, etc. But God has been working a peace and joy in my heart that I don’t believe I have experienced before.

Instead of focusing on how everything is going wrong or not the way I’d like it to, He has given me eyes to see the “bright spots” of His beauty and mercy in the midst of the mundane or trials alike.

So this fall, instead of getting depressed (because I hate watching the trees and flowers die), God has helped me to see (and dare I admit, enjoy?) the beauty of the changing colors.

I know this has been a hard year for many of us. But my hope is that by sharing what God is doing in my life, it may encourage you. Because you can be certain that He is willing and able to work in your hearts and lives as well.