bind my wandering heart to thee.

Another year has ended, and we have turned to a new page in our books. It was a year overflowing with love and joy and hardship and laughter and heartbreak and sickness and health and tears and hope. A year of travel and adventure. A year of learning. Of grace. Of constancy. Of acceptance. It was a year to grow roots and bloom, to bear fruit. A year to know people and taste the earth and make a place to call home. A year to learn about love and how much joy there is in loving.

Over and over in the past year, God has blessed me. I don't know how to say this other than that He has been so, so good. In the midst of everything, He was always there. Whenever I wandered, whenever my heart fled His hold, He lead me back and bound me to Him. I am His, and He will not let go. My heart hurt and I struggled, but He was there, is there. The same rings true for 2013, and all the years that are to come. God is constant. He is faithful. He is steadfast.

I rang in the new year with dear friends in Geneva, most of whom I made this past year (especially this summer). We danced and sang the night away (boosting ourselves with some JustDance moves when the going was slow). It was loud; it was crazy; it was twenty teenagers on New Year's Eve. But when we paused to countdown the last ten seconds, I was struck with a silent moment of gratitude for the year that has flown behind me and excitement and hope for the one coming.

Twenty twelve was amazing; twenty thirteen is going to be superb. And so I'm going to live it to the best of my ability. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. A life that God has promised will not be easy, but that will be worth it. I am so thankful and so excited. :)

I already wrote you a letter, so I won't repeat myself with all the things I pray for you. But if you forget everything else, remember that Jesus loves you and that He died for you. He saves. Bind your wandering heart to him. He is faithful.

Here's to a year of laughter and tears and love and sweat and joy and promise and adventure—and Jesus. Happy New Year!