Looking back, looking forward

As I look back on 2011 I praise God for the ways He has worked in my life. I praise Him for personal and professional growth. I praise Him for His loving care.
2011 was a busy year. From January to June I continued to teach 3rd grade at East-West International School. Then in July I taught 3 weeks of Summer School (grades 3 -5) which was lots of fun and also a learning experience. In August I took a holiday in Thailand, before returning to Phnom Penh and teaching 4th grade at East-West. From late August to December I have enjoyed teaching 4th grade again, and especially seeing the growth and development of my students, many of whom I taught in 3rd grade last year. What a blessed privilege to work with students for two years. During 2011 I've experienced God's love and His grace, as I continue to grow as a teacher and as a person. It hasn't all been easy, and there have definitely been moments that I wish hadn't happened, but I've also learned from those moments.As I look back on 2011, I'm excited to know that God is at work in my life, moulding me to be the person He wants me to be.

As I look forward to 2012, I look forward to God's continued work in my life. God's work isn't always easy to bear. Sometimes he prunes, which is helpful but painful. No matter what happens, I know that all He does in my life, and all the events that He allows to take place are for the best. I praise Him that I can trust Him with everything, big or small. I pray that I will learn to do that more easily.

Many people make "New Year's Resolutions". I don't want to make new resolutions. I want to keep working on some old ones. I'll mention them here, and invite you to check in with me along the way to see how I'm going.

First of all, I need to continue working on taking good care of myself. That means physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Spiritually, I cannot survive without daily time with God. This is a priority for 2012. Emotionally, I need time to relax and not think about school, and I need to be kind to myself. I need to build some "fun" into my life on a regular basis. Physically, I still need to lose some weight and gain some fitness. I've done it before, and with God's help I can do it again. I think this is the hardest of the lot, but doing this also is also good for my emotional health, especially exercising.

Apart from that, I'm looking forward to the rest of the school year with my 4th graders at EWIS, and I'm looking forward to a trip "home" in July-August 2012.

As the new year begins, I take note once again of Paul's words to the Philippians:

“I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” Philippians 3:12-14

As you read my blog this year, I pray that you will also be encouraged to keep looking forward to the ultimate goal of being who God wants you to be. Will pray for me as I keep looking forward, learning from the past and knowing God's grace and peace in ways that are beyond our human understanding. God is good and He loves me.