What a year 2017 has been! It was a year of changes and celebrations for our family. With the birth of our first grandson, Phil and I became GiGi and Pops. And with the High School graduation of our youngest son and his move to college, we also became empty nesters. Talk about big changes!

When I think about this past year and the changes we’ve seen, I am thankful that one thing will always be true from year to year – the faithfulness of God. He is so good!

And you know what else I’m thankful for? You! Maybe you have been joining me here on the blog for a long time, or perhaps we’ve only recently begun having java together. Either way, your presence here is a gift and encouragement to me. So together, my java friends, let’s take time to look back on the blog posts that you shared most in 2017.

And if something you read today inspires or encourages you, pass it on to someone else who may need it. Simply click on the title to read the post. Ok, sister, here we go!

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5. You Can Stop Trying to Fix It

When we really trust God, we won’t have to try to figure out and fix what doesn’t make sense to us. But, when we ignore Him or don’t trust Him, we spend all our time and energy trying to figure out and fix the situations in our lives that aren’t working out like we hoped. In this post, I shared how God reminded me that I can stop trying to fix it. And you can, too.

4. God Hears Your Unspoken Broken

We all have it. It’s that thing in us that we don’t talk about because we don’t know how to put words to it. It’s that feeling that rises in us and makes our throats tighten and our voices tremble. It’s our unspoken broken. And in this post, I shared three prayers from the Psalms to give your unspoken broken a voice.

3. When You Need to Be Cradled in God’s Compassion

We don’t often think of long-lasting trials like time in the safety of a womb — times in which God grows us, protects us and nurtures us. But, God can use those long-lasting situations as places where He cradles us in His compassion and care. This post encouraged each of us with the reminder that every unending minute we suffer or struggle, God’s compassion is holding us.

2. Are You Stealing From Yourself?

Sometimes, we think of our tendency to worry as just a harmless habit — just the flip side of how much we care and want to fix and have a bit of control. We rarely think of it as a masked intruder that we invite in to steal our joy or peace or contentment. But, that is exactly what happens. When you wring your hands, wondering what will happen, you rob yourself of joy. In this post, you learned how I turn worry mediation into a truth meditation instead – and how you can do it, too!

1. 3 Scriptures to Help You Stand Strong: The Battle is the Lord’s

I love that this year’s most shared blog post was all about Scripture – because that’s all any of us really need, right?! We’ve all had situations in our lives when we just want to fight back, right? If you’ve got a battle, you can either stand still and trust that God will fight for you, or you can freak out and possibly make it worse.

Sometimes we just need to get out of the way and under God’s will and watch Him bring victory. In this post, I shared three Scriptures that will help you to stand still and strong when facing a battle in your life.

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Wow, God has been so good this year, right? Looking back at these posts, I am reminded of some of the great truths He has been teaching me throughout 2017. I’m so glad you’ve been journeying with me – and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in 2018!

What about you? What is one thing you learned this year? Share it in the comments below.