The year 2020 is officially halfway through. What a year!
Although the tendency of Covid-19 is still somewhat unpredictable, the overall situation has improved in most countries. In Switzerland, with precautious social distancing and sometimes masks, life has almost come back to normal.
As I discussed in my last blog post, we are put on earth to grow and become who God designed us to be. One of the effective ways to measure growth is through looking back on the past week, month, or six months and reflecting upon some simple questions.
For example:
For yourself, your family and your work,
- What has improved?
- What changes that you made proved to be effective?
- What are you thankful for the past six months?
I’m going to share some of my reflections with you.
What has improved? For me, it is my faith in God and my health.
The first three months had been a roller coaster ride plus some deep learning curves. We hit a family financial crisis at the end of 2019, to the point of struggling to pay off the next month’s rent. My husband had been on job hunting for months. When he finally seemed to have some promising leads in another country, a pandemic hit. The company he was looking at was no longer hiring. His industry, the oil & gas industry, had taken a hard blow amidst the pandemic and collapse of oil price. Countless people, including his former colleagues, lost their jobs.
My husband and I had to come to God regularly together, seeking wisdom and guidance. We realized there were a few things that need to be adjusted.
First, we need to be better at tracking our expenses and work out a new budget.
Second, we need to be better at planning and work out a schedule.
To juggle a toddler and a baby without any child-care, my husband’s part-time work and continuing job hunting, my writing, as well as remain healthy and sane during the semi-lockdown, a realistic budget, and schedule proved to be essential and tremendously helpful.
As we kept seeking and trusting God, doing the next right thing we knew, my husband finally felt led to start his drilling consulting company in Geneva. God kindly provided him the first client even during his company’s registration, which was a great encouragement for both of us.
Though we still work on building a sustainable stream of income, we are very grateful for the various ways God provided for our family. We are debt-free, able to pay off all the bills until today, and have all we need and beyond. My faith has deepened in spending time daily in scripture reading and prayers, trusting God in the darkest days.
For my health and the health of my family, I’ve been intentional about cooking nourishing food and exercising, since we all need some boost of immunity during the pandemic.
Taking an essential oil bath from time to time has been very beneficial to improve my mood and sleep.
Taking family walks in nature at least once a week also proved to be an excellent rhythm for our emotional and mental health.
If you are interested, you can read the flowing articles I wrote earlier this year regarding faith, fear, and planning.
An Encouragement to Rise Above Fear
Daily Planning Guide for Beginners
Fo my work as a writer, I’m delighted to be able to produce at least one blog post per week this year.
When I set the goal of posting weekly at the end of last year, I wasn’t sure if I could stick with it, especially my daughter was only three months old then, let alone the later hit pandemic that confused everyone’s plan.
It turned out I did stick with that goal until today. There had been many mornings where I scheduled to write, and my brain was foggy from getting up multiple times the night before tending a fussy baby. But each time, I pushed through, with lots of prayers and strong coffee.
Whenever I feel dry and don’t know what to offer to my readers, I get on my knees and pray. God always shows up and inspires me. Some articles might be better than the others; nevertheless, I accept the possible imperfection in knowing it’s a work in progress.
I have profoundly experienced this truth, especially in my writing: We always have enough to do what God has called us to do. His grace is truly sufficient in each assignment given.
For more reflections on this subject, these articles are available for you.
Dare to Claim Abundance Here and Now
What am I thankful for the past six months? Oh, so much. To mention a few :
God’s sufficient provision for our family
Our health
The deepening of my relationship with my husband through persevering together in hard times
A clear direction for my husband’s career
The increasing number of readers that I get to serve through my writing
Friends and family who helped and prayed for us
Dear reader, your experience in the first half of 2020 might be different from mine. However, taking some time to reflect on the past six months will help you to reset and reevaluate your goal for the rest of the year.
Perhaps you have lost your job, your loved ones, undergoing sickness, or got into debt. You have had a tough time so far this year.
Would you pause for a moment with me, and think of one good thing that happened to you this year? Take some time and dwell on that thought. Then, can you think of another?
My friend, look for the good, for you will always find them. Take some time and write down your reflections, your gratitude list, and trust God to meet you right where you are.
If you’d like, please share some of your mid-year reflections in the comments below!
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