2020 Wrap Up and Reflection

I entered the new decade filled with so much anticipation. It was the year when Mike and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary, Shiloh's 1st birthday, and we were planning my mom's 60th birthday celebration. Mike also had an almost fully booked work schedule which include lots of domestic travels. When Co-Vid happened we were stunned, just like everyone else.

Amidst the craziness of last year, it made perfect sense why God gave "FOCUS" as my One Word for 2020. Mike and I had reasons to be anxious. We were concerned about the health and safety of our family, we were concerned about our finances, and we did not know what to do next and which direction to take. Every single time that I cried out my fears to Him, God reminded me to "Focus". 

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" - Isaiah 26:3

It takes so much discipline to focus when everything around seems to be falling apart, when so many things are uncertain, when nothing seems to be in our control anymore. But what helped me and Mike get through 2020 was to keep our eyes focused -- fixed on who God is, on what He can do, on His promises, on what He wants us to learn. We decided to believe that God is good no matter what, we believe that He loves us, and whatever He will allow to happen in our lives is always ultimately for our good. We grasped a firm hold on His promises and waited, for we know that we will see His goodness in the land of the living. This is not blind faith, this faith is the fruit of remembering. Always remembering. We remembered all those years that God has been faithful to us. We remembered how God used the most difficult seasons of our lives to teach us valuable lessons, to lead us closer to Him. Those memories have become our anchor. We've experienced worse. He never failed us then, He will never fail us now.

And that's what I want to continue doing... to always remember all His gifts (both the good, and even what didn't look good in our human understanding). I never want to forget all the blessings that God gave us in this year of the pandemic, so I am documenting them here, because one day, it will once again be our anchor of faith.

Last 2020, I am grateful to God for:

• Keeping our family safe and protected from Co-Vid and typhoons.
• God's provision through our parents and siblings during our financially difficult months.
• God using the pandemic to teach us how be better stewards of our finances.
• God blowing us away as He reveals His faithfulness in His promise in Proverbs 3:9 (Firstfruit!)
• God using the new normal to open new doors of opportunities for AFOLA.
• Our 10th Wedding Anniversary.
• God teaching me to plant new visions for my marriage.
• God using the lockdown for me and Mike to dream new dreams for our family, and showing us His way and leading us to people who will help us accomplish these dreams, one step at a time.
• First Homeschool year with Shiko.
• Shiloh's first birthday.
• Precious moments spent with our children.
• Zoom Bible Studies with our Dgroups (old and new).
• Lolo Rudy surviving one month of hospital confinement at the age of 84 yo.
• Dada's retirement from work after more than 30yrs, new car for the family.
• Dada and Mama Beck both recovered well after being hospitalized.
• Christmas and New Year with a complete family even if we were not able to celebrate together.

One of the greatest things that I learned from last year, is that, God is Sovereign. His plans and purpose will always prevail no matter what. While I am grateful to witness how God turned our difficulties into blessings, my heart goes out to those who are still struggling to understand their losses. God doesn't always gives us answers, but I pray that God may use this season to reveal Himself more to you so that you may draw near to Him and experience His perfect peace.

Blessed 2021 to you and your loved ones!

MikeMisce 2020 Year-End Video