Well technically, according to the Chinese Calendar, it was the Year of the Ox, but in my life it was the Year of the Boy. Thankfully, today is November 1st, and the year is nearing an end. I'm ready for it to be over. Boys are exhausting. My Year of the Boy was predominantly characterized by learning experiences in the dating process (cringe implied for both of those insufferable terms). In all my years of being single, I've never had such a thorough education as I did this year. I'm not sure why or how it all happened, but it was peculiar. My friends tell me that it was all part of the journey and the path that I'm on that will one day take me to the right boy - the man I will marry. I choose to believe that's true. And, yes, it is a choice to believe it!Would you like to know how Wikipedia defines the purpose of the Ox? Oxen (plural) are used for: plowing, transporting, threshing of grain, powering irrigation, and for "other purposes". Some parallels between the use of oxen and my Year of the Boy are starting to form in my mind...
Plowing - (def) the cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. Joyce Meyer says, "Your loss is seed for the harvest of something better that God will bring about in your life." Awesome!!
Transporting - (def) moving something from one place to another. (Deut. 8:7) Good to know! Ready to go!
Threshing grain - (def) sifting wheat or winnowing, to remove something undesirable or unwanted through a processing of breaking down (James 1: 2,3; 1 Peter 5:10). Wow...painful but necessary!
Irrigation - (def) the application of water to the soil. (Isaiah 58:11). Check: needed that!
"Other purposes" - well, maybe right now I can't even know or presume to know God's "other purposes" for why this year unfolded the way it did. I do know, however, that His plans for me are good and that He works all things together for the good. (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28). Love that! Love Him!
Perhaps my Year of the Boy was really the Year of the Ox, after all. :)
I'm excited about another thoughtful post! I've never thought about the dating process like how you explained it...ingenius! Very interesting and makes complete sense. The way you explained it actually makes the process of dating and sometimes breaking up actually seem worthwhile as opposed to the feeling that it was all for nothing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rebecca! Your wisdom, maturity, and shared experiences have helped me so much this year. I really appreciate your friendship!
ReplyDelete2009 was the year of the boy for me too...foster!
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