I remember as a teenager and young adult my Mom would always tell me, “You’re gonna be my age before you know. Time only speeds up – it never slows down.” I didn’t believe her; convinced of my own invincibility and forever youthfulness, I lived as if age would never catch up to me. Yet she has once again been proven to be more right than I ever expected. Listen to your Mom, folks.
2015 went by much faster than previous years…or so it seems. Much like everyone else, it was filled with many ups and downs and a few twists and turns. So I thought I would look back and visit the excitement I could remember and share it in the hopes of providing some encouragement or to convince others that they are not the only ones who went through some hard times.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the loss of my Dad. He went to be with Jesus on December 1st of 2014. But this was the first full year without him here. Birthdays, events and special moments were somewhat emptier knowing he wasn’t here to share them with us. We dealt with this as best we could. I had never lost someone I was so close to, so the entire process has been new territory. God has granted me an indescribable peace in my spirit knowing he left us and immediately joined the great cloud of witnesses watching over us. He is missed without question. On the anniversary of his transition, my brother, sisters and others gathered at my house for some time of reflection, food and music to celebrate his life. It has been helpful with the healing process. In the near future, we hope to record a CD of his music – keeping his legend alive for generations.
Next on the list is our girls. My wife and I both have daughters – ages 11 & 12 – and this is the year they began middle school. This seems to be where everything changes. The attitudes, the clothes, the music – since when has Pearl Jam been considered classic rock? I digress….
Transitioning into middle school has brought some challenges into our home. This is such a confusing time in life. But I don’t remember struggling with some of the things kids these days have to deal with. And thank you, Jesus we didn’t have the technology they do. Getting suspended from school would have been the least of my worries. The girls are in the self-discovery phase of life and we pray for them regularly. Their personalities, at times, make us question whether or not they know who they were just speaking to…or not speaking to. But who didn’t test the patience their parents a time or twenty…a day? Nevertheless, we believe they will become young women who value their identity in Christ as opposed to the lures of society. Our fingers are crossed and our hopes are high!
Last year also brought about some reconnecting with someone I love. My brother, Josh, is quite an amazing guy – whether he realizes it or not. We had been disconnected for quite some time due to differences in lifestyle. Both of us come from drug abusive backgrounds, but I’m older and naturally quit the life a little earlier. What this allowed for, which neither of us knew at the time, was the opportunity for me to grow and mature into the big brother I was created to be. When God finally captured his heart, I was ready to help him and he was ready to receive. Though it hasn’t blossomed into the relationship we both were hoping for, we are definitely closer than we used to be. He has since become a father to a beautiful little girl and God is teaching him so much. He is proof God answers prayers. There were nights I spent on my knees for him as the Spirit led me while doubts ran through my head that he would ever come around. But God is faithful and answers the prayers of those who seek Him on behalf of others. I’m excited for what the future holds!
On a personal note, 2015 was a year of my own self-discovery. I have learned that identity is everything and my attitude absolutely sucked…and that’s an understatement. Somehow I had become someone I didn’t even like to be around. So God, in His very gentle way, continued a journey started earlier in my walk of showing me who I am through His eyes. The more I saw the way He sees me, the uglier my current state appeared. This is still an ongoing transition, because many of these quirks of mine have become so deeply ingrained that I still struggle to believe I am who He says I am. The encouraging part about it all is I don’t have to rely on myself to change everything on my own. His Spirit is always with me gently guiding me in the right direction while lovingly allowing me to miss it from time to time. It’s amazing to me how patient He is.
Trust me when I say, if you allow yourself to take this journey of discovery, it will be life-changing! When you begin to even scratch the surface of this great mystery, a battle will ensue, but your confidence will skyrocket. I don’t want to be the ugly person I was last year. I literally spent the majority of 2015 frustrated, irritable, restless, annoyed…just to name a few. Ask my wife – she didn’t like me either. But I know this year will be different. Now, we’re only a day into it and improvements are not all that noticeable. But I had it spoken to me by a three year old tonight (thank you, Stella Mae!) that I would be happy! I’ll receive that. 🙂
The biggest event we had to come during this past year would have to be the grand opening of our new shoppe, New Creation. Wow, what a journey that project was! Do you have any idea what it’s like to purchase a piece of property solely on faith with little to no money at all and find out it needs far more renovations than expected? Yea, your stress rises and your faith gets shaken. But when God speaks a word, it’s as if it has already happened!
After running the ministry out of our house for nearly 3 years, the doors finally opened in July. This allowed us to take on more organizations in need while getting some sort of sanity back in our home life. My wife has been so amazing! While having no education or experience running a non-profit, she grabbed the bull by the horns and has turned our ministry into such a great success. December was our most profitable month and we were able to educate more students, teachers and community members on the issue of human trafficking than in previous years. God has taken things farther in such a short amount of time than we ever expected. We are very excited with much anticipation to see what lies ahead. We have some ideas, but we are keeping them in prayer for now until we get the green light.
I’m sure there are many more events that are slipping my mind, but this was no doubt a year of ups and downs. We suffered loss, added new members to our family, watched two lives become one, laughed, cried fought and made up. But most importantly, we survived it. We let go of what lies behind with the hope that we learned more, grew more, loved stronger and drew closer to the One Who created us while developing greater courage to face the new year ahead. There is a big world out there full of people who need a revelation of the Love we have received. Let this be a year that we stop being held back from our destinies, discover who we are and bring about change for the greater good.
Bring it on 2016!
Steven Andrew, Jr 
Leave a comment