I'm Glad This is My Word for 2017

Two weeks into 2017, had you asked me to describe it, I would have said that it had been difficult. Life felt like an uphill battle, especially as I’m fighting for the things I know I am called to do. Such as knowing that I’m called by God to be a mother. For now, I’m loving the children He has placed in my life, but the sense that God intends for my husband and me to have our own children has not faded, and despite our ages, despite unsuccessful fertility intervention, we’re not quitting. Also, in the first couple of weeks of this year, I was struggling with my calling as a writer, because it’s not simply about sitting down at the computer and letting my heart flow through my fingers and onto the page. Writing that is to be shared requires finishing. Publishing involves a lot of work. At times, the process isn't as smooth as one might hope, and there are stressful days and disappointments.

However, just before the year began, I asked God for a defining word for 2017. (Because that’s the trendy thing to do, right?) God has given me some significant words to kick start the past couple of years. Then He has kindly shown me a fresh word to get me through the second half of each year. It seems that in June or July I need the fresh motivation that He speaks to me. Hope was my word at the beginning of 2015. Joy was His word of encouragement to me around halfway through that year. “Divine appointment instead of disappointment” was my phrase (divine-appointment was my “one” word) as 2016 began. Breakthrough was the word that kept me going through the second half of the year.

So at the end of December as I prepared for the new year, the word God put on my heart was persevere. I should have realized that when God whispers “persevere” then He knows you’re going to face challenges.

If you’ve followed my story, you know that my husband and I have been battling infertility for 6 ½ years. I’ve written about it quite a bit. Writing has been a lifeline to me, and my second book is for children and adults alike, published a few months ago, reminding all who read it that God is good in ALL seasons of life. Even today. In this current season, Mike and I are fighting for our children, and we’re fighting for other things in our life as well.

I know that God has called me to write, but that doesn’t make the process of writing or publishing easy. I’ve faced some hurdles so far this year, and in my worst moments I’ve asked myself, “Is this writing worth it? Sometimes it’s such hard work, with what seems like such little payoff.”

As I was pouring out some frustrations to the listening ears of a dear friend, I said that I was going to keep fighting for these things I’m called to, and I mentioned that someone had once described me as a pioneer. (She pointed me toward a song called “Pioneer” by Rick Pino, and I went home and listened to it. If you’re persevering and/or pioneering, you might want to listen to it.)

Persevere. Perseverance. Thankfully, although January isn’t finished yet, things are looking up. God has opened some doors of opportunity and given me strength in areas where writing endeavors felt overwhelming. We still await God’s answer to our prayers for children. And I know that He has called me to persevere – especially on the days when I want to give up.

I began digging into God's Word in order to walk out perseverance. His Word strengthens me while I strive to press onward, and it's because of this that I can have HOPE for what will come in the future! It's "through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope..." Romans 15:4

I need to persevere to do what God has called me to do. Hebrews 10:36 says, "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."  

Perseverance is so much like running, something I've learned about in recent years. Sometimes you don't want to set foot outside to go for a run, but you know that you need to, and once you do, it feels so good! Sometimes when you're running, you want to quit, but you force yourself to keep running. If you do this enough, you get stronger, and faster. 

A guest preacher came to our church this January and exhorted us to run the race God has set before us. He reminded us to run the race that God has marked out for us, not just any race, not just a good race, but a God race. 

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to, "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." Distractions and sin will hold us back from running the race we're called to run. This Scripture continues: "And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer [some versions say author] and perfecter of faith."

At the moment, we're only a few weeks into 2017, and opportunities to persevere lie ahead. My time and energy are limited but I'm going to keep running, enduring, and persevering in the specific "races" that God has called me to run. I encourage all who read this to pause, ask God which direction He intends for you to be heading this year, and start running.

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Hi, I’m Betsy, and I live in the Washington, D.C. area with my husband, Mike. In the week between writing and publishing this blog post, life started looking up! However, I know more challenges are ahead, so I guess I'll keep on persevering! :)  If you want to hear more of my stories, I published my first book Embracing Hope During Infertility in January 2015, and Seasons: A Picture Book was published in November 2016. I would love for you to connect with me by following my Hope During Infertility Facebook page and my Betsy Herman, Writer Facebook page. I occasionally tweet as well @lovethatbetsy.

Thanks so much for reading my posts!