Welcome, come on in for today’s adventure my friend. As we farewell 2020 & welcome 2021, I thought we’d share a few musings from the most unexpected year of years!,
But first, I have a delicious tea blend for you to try called Singapore breakfast tea, it’s black & green tea with ingredients from the Orient that give a very delectable taste. And we have gf lemon zest & white chocolate cookies to munch upon.
At this time of the year we get reflective about the year that was & wonder what the year ahead will bring, don’t we?
Already, the media is reflecting upon the elephant in the room called CoVid that is still pressing upon everyone!
Thus, many just want to say goodbye & good riddance to 2020 because it’s been such a difficult year for all. And I really do understand their sentiments.
Although, I have learnt in life that the years that hold the most unspeakable tragedies & difficulties also release the most amazing blessings, if we but recognize them!
The word for 2020 was Release
In the beginning of 2020 I was given the word release to muse upon for the year. What applications did it have for my life & maybe yours in the strangest of years? Let us reflect as we sip our cuppas…
The dictionaries define release in the following way;
to set free; allow (something or someone) to move,
A look at the Biblical meaning, finds the following;
The year of Release was the year of Jubilee, it was the completeness of several sabbatical seasons. Only happening once in every fifty years [every likelihood once in an ancient’s lifetime], restoring everyone to their place of origin, releasing debt & restoring the inheritance of the land. [Summarized]
Wow! Some powerful imagery going on in the meaning & description of what was released!
- A Spiritual Rest
“Therefore there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God…Let us therefore enter that rest…lest we become weary…”
Hebrews 4: 1-11
&
- A Spiritual Comfort
“…To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord…
To comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn…garlands instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61: 2-3
We definitely found a new meaning for rest during lock down & isolation, didn’t we! Everything in our once busy lives suddenly ceased!
All our plans, our appointments, our ability to travel, our visiting, receiving visitors & normal routines were gone!
I certainly learnt anew what treasures a sabbath rest can reveal!
But 2020, a favorable year?
As I look over the past twelve months so much has happened in our lives not just here in Australia but globally. Here we had…
- A severe drought
- That was followed by catastrophic fire storms
- That was followed by the pandemic that has forever changed our lives
- And our economy is just keeping it’s head above the overwhelming floodwaters of an economic downturn.
None of which seems to fall into what I would classify as the favorable year of the Lord! But the word release was the word given to me!
Although, many of our lives were similar to Lewis Carroll’s character the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland before the pandemic, don’t you think?
One of racing around in haste to get to those all “important” dates & activities, that when we were forced to stop, we realized most weren’t so ‘important’ after all!
2020 indeed helped me to completely stop, be still, reflect, let go of my plans releasing them to Him knowing that indeed He is God & has His plans for my life that are not interrupted by a pandemic!
This released me to prioritize what is truly precious & important to me! How about you?
Looking closer
I found a great exercise to do during isolation & lock down, to examine what personal blessings were being released in the year of completion.
Through the Looking Glass was a very worthwhile exercise of reflection, one I highly recommend dear friend, it brought so much clarity & perspective!
A huge blessing was a completion to a forty year long personal prayer, shared in Alone in the Wilderness!
And in the upheavel of 2020, The truth behind the mask released us to see what vengeful thoughts can do if we allow them, shared through my professional & personal experience.
Yes, 2020 was the most unexpected years of years but so many blessings were released, not just in my life but in all our lives we just need to recognize them!
May 2021 be just as full of amazing blessings for us all! I so appreciate you joining me here for a cuppa each week my dear friend, thank you!
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2020, Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com
Tea With Jennifer 
You’re right, this has certainly been a year that needs reflection! I consider this year a gift of learning about myself (all that spare time for reflection 😉 ). I didn’t like some of the things I saw, and I really liked others.
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That is a gift Anita! One that not many welcome but is such a blessing when it’s fully unwrapped. Thank you for sharing that with us today & for your honesty. 😀
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Such a lovely post, filled with wisdom. It was a hard year in many ways, yet also a time when we all drew closer to the Lord every day. God is always good, I agree with Pam
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Thank you! Yes, I agree God is always good! So lovely to have you join me here in a cuppa 😀
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I so enjoyed reading this, Jennifer. Strangely the pandemic was a time of great blessing for my husband and me. While I’m aware of the suffering all around us, the year made me more mindful and grateful.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed your time here Corinne! And that you found blessings during the strangest of years 😀
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Thank you, Jennifer, I enjoyed this post so much for your candid view of 2020 and your musings on your word for 2020. What a blessing to pursue your word throughout the year to a rich conclusion! Happy New Year my Friend!!
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New year blessings to you Donna! Yes, it was a very blessed conclusion indeed to the year of completion! 😀
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My word last year was “rest.” Little did I know that it would be easy since we have been unable to go anywhere other than medical appointments since last March. I see that God knew it would be quite possible though I doubted it last January. This year I seem to keep hearing the word “sabbatical.’ While that has the ring of rest also, it implies a period of creativity coming from that period. I await the new year with some hope.
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Isn’t it wonderful that He fulfills the words He gives to us in ways we just don’t see coming Elizabeth! New year’s blessing to you! 😀
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God does always seem to be going before us just as He promised.
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That He does Elizabeth 😀
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New Year blessing and love to you and your, Jennifer! ✨
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Thank you sweet friend! May 2021 be full of blessed moments for you & your family Bette! ♥
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Thank you Jennifer for your timely message for a new year. May I always be reminded of God’s blessings, He is good and faithful!
Blessings,
Pam
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That He is sweet friend, bless you! 😀
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I love how you kept after your word, doggedly determined to find the true meaning of the word the Lord led you to. Yes!!! It makes complete sense that release referred to the release of your plans. To get your priorities straight. Happy New Year, Jennifer!
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Thank you Laurie! Happy New Year to you too, it’s 2021 here already! 😀
Yes, I’m like a dog with a bone when I start a journey of discovery, lol!
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I have a tendency to worry. Ironically not much worry of catching COVID (hummm). And my job and income was not affected (not yet, anyway). But I worry about others, about the nation, about the world. And the economic effects tied into political unrest and division. I know I need to release my fear and trust God. A few weeks ago I started walking in my neighborhood in the morning and praying. Then walking again after work. Every day. This is greatly helping. If I am honest, there have been a few good things in my life this year, I need to focus on that. Thank you! 🤗
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Hi Lisa, thank you for sharing!
What a wonderful prayer ministry you have, born out of your concern for others! Such a blessing to all your neighbors!
Yes, we indeed need to focus upon the blessings in our lives, while God takes care of our worries & anxieties as we hand then over to Him & trust Him with the outcome. Bless you! 😀
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A work in progress! 🤗
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