Year in Review: Perfect Peace

My theme for 2012 was "Perfect Peace." The theme was chosen because the storms of life felt overwhelming.

My birth father had passed unexpectedly. I wrote about this in a post titled: "In rememberance..."

The dream for my life was becoming a distant memory as we had spent two years in the U.S., bought a house and planned to stay a while. I went through a time of serious grief as I mourned the loss of that dream and had nothing to take it's place, except for uncertainty. I wrote about this in a post titled: "in absentia"

The year brought more death, "In loving memory: Adra Irene Gettemy" and the continued heartache of remaining childless.

I don't have to tell anyone the kind of stress moving continents multiple times in a few short years, extended unemployment, and disappointing heartache can put on a marriage. At the beginning of 2012 it seemed like we were at our breaking point. Then unemployment struck again.

I needed a solid rock in the midst of life's storms. I needed peace that surpassed understanding. I chose the theme because such a peace felt unattainable, but I knew I desperately needed it. Nothing else was going to get me through the difficulties I was experiencing.

The scripture that guided the past year was Isaiah 26:3,4:

You [God] keep him [or her] in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock

Looking back over the course of the year, I can tell you that my trust in God has grown deeper. I trust him to be my provider. I trust him to be my foundation and safety-net. I have come to trust him with my future and dreams.

I spent a series of weeks this year fasting (going without food and spending most of the day in solitude and prayer) on Sundays. I felt called to the task. I found the result to be an aligning of my will with His. Through the course of those weeks my perspective (and subsequently my attitude) changed. As these things changed, my behavior followed suit. Breakthroughs in my circumstances came, eventually, as well.

While I still do not have a defined purpose, I am finding joy in helping others discover their purpose, fanning the flame of their dreams, and interceding on their behalf. God has given me pictures of faces, folks that I  have been working to build relationship with. He has given me encouraging words to share with others. When I share those words immediately, I am finding that it speaks to something they are going through at that moment - usually something they did not think anyone else knew about. God knew. He always knows.

When the heartache in my life seemed too much, I discovered I also needed to invest in friendships locally. While I had met a lot of people I liked a lot; my mentality was that, because I hoped to be leaving soon, it was just easier to keep relationships at a surface level in anticipation of saying good-bye. I realized I needed to build a network of support. I have been investing in friendships this year and have built the foundation for excellent friendships with a number of women. This has also served to help calm my restlessness. I expect these friendships to improve with age. God also gave me a group of sojourners to do life with. While the majority of the year was filled with disappointment, it ended with hope as we are embarking on a journey of discovery and service together.

Because it was clear we are staying a while. We invested in real estate. I wrote about this in a post titled: "a place to call 'home'" God asked me to do the unthinkable. Something so far outside of my comfort zone I wasn't sure I could even accomplish such a task. I felt completely unequipped and inadequate. He asked me to make a home for Kenyon and I. I wrote about this in the post titled: "what is a homemaker?"

While God was busy changing my heart and behaviors. While I was busy building supporting relationships, attempting to be an encouragement to others, and learn what it means to be a homemaker. A miracle happened. Our marriage was restored. I wasn't even sure such a thing was possible, but I am grateful that He is faithful despite my disbelief.

I expect storms will remain part of life. In the midst of the storms God proved to be an everlasting rock. I trust Him more today than I did yesterday, or in this case more this year than I did the previous year. While He is faithful, I am not. That is what I will be focusing on in 2013. More to come on that in a future post...

just Sheri, trusting the everlasting rock to provide peace in the midst of storms

don't worry...trust instead

If you watched the news in recent weeks you may have heard that Virginia had a massive, freak wind storm recently. The storm left millions without power, brought down trees, tore off siding. In the community where we live it knocked out the emergency 911 system...and the back-up emergency system.

Here's what's amazing...we were clueless. Absolutely. Positively. Completely oblivious.

Without TV, we didn't watch the news. So, we didn't know we were supposed to be afraid.

Instead, we watched a movie on the laptop. Went to sleep. Slept soundly. Then woke to find the world had changed.

We were lucky to have been spared - we had electricity, but no internet or cell phones as the storm had knocked out the entire system.

I have told this story a few times since the storm. Each time it has me thinking of this scripture in Matthew...

Matthew 6:27
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?


What would we have done had we known in advance the storm was coming? We would have worried...okay, I will speak for myself. I would have worried. What if...what will we do?

What we will do is deal with whatever comes - just as we did. What would worrying have got me? Less rest.

This was an important lesson, as I was able to avoid worry and rest in perfect peace. I think that is the message of Matthew 6. Don't worry. Trust God. He's got this.

Thank you, God, for providing peace in the midst of storms - literally and figuratively.

just Sheri, learning about trust in the year of "perfect peace"

2012 Theme: Perfect Peace

As faithful readers may remember, I don't do New Year's Resolutions; instead, I choose a theme for each year.  The theme for this year was selected some time around Thanksgiving 2011. I knew that in 2012 I would be focusing on Peace. I couldn't have predicted the storms that would come.

I don't mean this kind of peace.

To me, this symbol of peace often represents the intent or desire to have an absence of trouble or conflict. In my mind it is coupled with the saying, "can't we all just get along."

Since that does not seem to be my reality I am looking for a different kind of peace - a greater peace. Peace that is found not the absence of trouble or conflict - but in the midst of such things. This kind of peace is WAY beyond myself, it is the kind of peace I believe only comes from God.

My guiding scripture is Isaiah 26:3,4:


You [God] keep him [or her] in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. 
Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.


I don't know if I will achieve perfect peace by year's end, but I am going to give it a go. The worst that can happen is I will be better off tomorrow than I am today. So, I will do my best to maintain focus and trust God - He is my firm foundation and solid rock in the midst of life's storms.


just Sheri, a peace-seeker