Merry Christmas Family & Friends!
***If for one reason or another, you were missed on our Christmas card list this year, hear it is=)***
Our year started on an incredible high when Joey and I
completed our first Tough Mudder (toughmudder.com) challenge in January—almost
13 miles and 29 obstacles, and electric shock is NOT for the faint of heart!
Then, the rest of the year went something like this—4 ER visits, 2 seizures, 2
ambulance rides, 9 stitches, 2 MRIs, 2 stress tests, 1 cardiac monitor, 2 echocardiograms,
1 EEG, multiple EKGs, 1 walking cast boot, and mono. All of which resulted in outcomes of excellent health! However, this sets the stage for our
family’s year of walking by faith.
The faith walk began quite literally the day after I mailed
2011’s Christmas letter. We got
the phone call that Joey got the financial consultant position on staff with
Chick-fil-A corporate, and we couldn’t have been more ecstatic! January 1, 2012, Joey began the next
stage of his career with Chick-fil-A, and he is happier and more fulfilled than
I have seen him in many years. I
always knew God would open this door for him, but who knew it would take 10
years of prayer and faithful submission to God’s plan before this desire of
Joey’s heart was finally fulfilled.
However, it WAS fulfilled (Ps. 37:4). So for all of you out there waiting for those deepest
desires of your heart to be fulfilled as well, be encouraged! God’s timing is perfect. I hate to speak for him, but I would
say that Joey has been walking this year in the joy of faith-fulfillment. New adventures are always just around
his corner, but I think this year, he has truly enjoyed this 10-year prayer
being answered in his life.
The kids have most certainly begun their faith walks this
year in little ways that I have enjoyed planting, watering, and nurturing, but
mostly watching. I thank the Lord
for BSF (bsfinterational.org) and the invaluable role it has played in helping
me begin to lay a godly foundation in the lives of my children.
Two of those ER visits were for Savannah, and in the midst
of the craziness of each, there were blessed sacred moments when I was able to
point her to God’s hand, and she was openly able to experience His work in her
life, even at the tender age of 4.
All the while, she has continued to charm people with her joy for life
and abundance of energy and exuberance for everyone and everything. Her little heart is so sensitive to her
brother and our family; it makes my Mama’s heart soar. She talks often about how she’s asked
Jesus to come live inside her heart.
I pray daily that God would increase her understanding of His grace and
love for her so that in this next year we will rejoice in her baptism which
would only show to the world what I believe is already at work in her
heart—that she loves the Lord and believes He died for her sins, for her forgiveness,
for her salvation! It’s my joy to
see this prayer being actively answered in her life on a daily basis. I can’t wait to see what the future
holds for her!
Weston too has weathered his last half of the willful 2s and
into his emotional 3s with as much dignity as any child can. We are finally a diaper-less
household. Hallelujah! And watching him turn from toddler into
little boy brings both heartache and pride. He is my baby after all=) We’ve discovered he’s a bit of a perfectionist, so this has
challenged me to be his biggest encourager in the area of “You can do it! Keep
trying!” But his charm, smile, and
natural wit and humor are going to far outweigh any drawbacks to his
perfectionism. This kid is just
plain funny! I pray daily that God
would bend his heart toward a life of obedience and teach me how to understand
him, so I can raise him in the way God would have him grow. I’m still watching and learning his
“bent” for life, but one thing is for sure, people will love him, and he will
have great influence for Christ one day.
I look forward to another year of watching him learn and grow in the
Lord.
As for me, well, the list in paragraph 1 will explain why I
dropped off the map in the blogging world (thedurhamites.blogspot.com—hopefully
more to come in the future!). The
speed of life has picked up. Along
with Joey’s new job came Joey’s new traveling schedule, and for the first time
in our 11-year marriage we spend 1-3 nights apart from each other almost every
week. I’ve struggled with
this. Most of those medical tests
listed resulted from a fluke seizure I experienced in May. I struggled with that. My Granddaddy Frank went home to be
with the Lord in July. I struggled
with that. And through the
struggles God has always provided the help I needed. It has come in the form of friends, family, car rides,
prayers, kind words, encouraging lunches, medications, counseling, BSF lessons,
and ultimately the never-shifting, solid ground of the Truth of His Holy Word.
I sit here and can honestly say, like Abram (Gen. 12), I
failed a test of my faith this year, but also like Abram, I found favor in
God’s eyes through His grace, and I have restored peace and faith and hope in
the God who loves me. This has
been a year of the faith-fight for me.
I have not warred with things of the flesh, but with spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). I am still learning how to destroy speculations
and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). I’m seeking more scripture, praying out
loud more often, crying out to the Lord for deliverance. Because I am in a war for my mind that
ultimately affects my heart, which in turn will affect the hearts of my
children and generations to come.
The Good News though?!?!?
Christ has already won!!
And as His child, His soldier, I am learning to march and live in His
victory through His blessed salvation by re-learning who He says I am in
Christ. And I am victorious.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always
give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor
in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
May this letter
serve as an encouragement to all of you who find yourselves in the midst of not
just a fight, but a war. God is
more than able (2 Cor. 9:8). He is
our Shield and Strength (Ps. 28:7).
He has been my personal Refuge (Ps. 91:2) this year, and for my family,
He has been the Banner of Love (Song of Ps. 2:4). He has worked good in and through all things in our lives
this year, and I pray He has been glorified even in my weak efforts. May this Christmas season illuminate
the Hope we have in Christ’s birth!
The hope of not just eternity itself, but an eternity of peace, unity,
and victory! No more struggles or
war with this flesh.
“Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever / He sought me and He bought me
with His redeeming blood / He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due
Him / He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.”-Victory in Jesus by E.M. Bartlett, 1939.
May the truth of God’s Word be your protection in 2013.
Praying His Truth over you and yours,
Joey, Jennifer, Savannah, & Weston Durham
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