Happy New Year! The human brain is amazing. Our


KATEY POWELL ARP Women’s Ministries President


am so excited for this year to start! To me, it’s a yearly re- boot! A time to look at the past year and see what worked and what didn’t and rethink my goals. Some goals are work-related, health-relat- ed, spiritually-related, relationship- related. I ask myself – Did I grow        ways to be healthy? Did I make new friends? Did I lead others to Christ? Did I shine my light through my job? Looking back over 2021 and con-


I


sidering issues involving Covid, there were lots of things that didn’t quite work out or turn out the way I thought they would. How about you? What do you see when you look back at 2021?


As a health coach and a proponent for healthy living, I use the same con- cept I teach others. It is NEVER too late to restart, or change, improve and adapt to our ever-changing cir- cumstances.


Don’t we all start with these grand expectations of plans and how things are supposed to go throughout the year? Sometimes they work, and sometimes they just don’t happen like we wanted them to. I am work- ing through a devotion of 30 life prin- ciples. The one I am working through now is appropriate: disappointment is inevitable – discouragement is a choice.


creativity and imagination can re- mind us of “glass half full” when we make plans or goals. Then something unknown happens, and the plans may fall apart, and the glass becomes half empty. Disappointment is inevi- table. But it’s how we deal with that disappointment that matters. Do we trust God will get us through? Do we wallow in the disappointment? Do we look to see what good came out of it? Do we complain?


In Habakkuk 3:17, Habakkuk saw evil and violence. He complained. He pleaded with God. How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?     that he needed to trust in God’s wis- dom and that God was in control. “


and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the  are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God, my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” (Hab. 3:17-19)


Habakkuk was discouraged and rightfully so, but then he made a change. He made the choice to change his discouragement to rejoicing. Whatever we go through – what- ever we see that doesn’t make sense – whatever goes wrong in our plans, our goals, our lives, our jobs, our world, we can feel disappointed and discouraged but not for long because


we have a God that is with us, Em- manuel. We need to stop and tell ourselves that God is our strength. He will give us the steady footage to walk when the journey gets treacher- ous. We need to rejoice in what we have. We need to rejoice in the fact that He promises to never leave us or forsake us. Take the time to look back over


2021. Look at where God brought you through. And prayerfully make plans and goals but know that they might change and they might fail, and they might turn out well, but in any case, know that God will have his hand on you, He will walk with you and be your strength.


As we meet this year in our wom- en’s ministry groups, always pray  your seeking new women to lead, your choosing of bible study mate- rials, and your purpose. Be open to look at new ways to meet and gather more women into prayer and fellow- ship. We need each other! We need fellowship so we can love, encourage, and share in life’s disappointments and challenges. Reading and study- ing God’s word together equips us to handle those challenges. That is truly what women’s min- istry is all about. ARP Women’s Ministries is an organization that encourages, equips, and connects the community of ARP women to min- ister together for God’s glory and purpose. To God be the glory!


Knowing, loving, serving, Jesus ARPWM January/February 2022 19


Women’s Ministries


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