An Odd Year Ahead (Revisited)
Stardate: 12.27.2012 — Reflections for Today
As I look back sixteen years, I can still feel the anticipation I carried into 2013. I called it an odd year back then—not because the calendar said so, but because something deeper felt unsettled. The world seemed tilted. Familiar patterns were shifting. Certainty felt harder to come by.
Funny thing is… that feeling doesn’t belong to 2012 alone.
In my first years of blogging, I centered my writing around three anchors: faith, hope, and love. If those were the bricks of this little corner of the internet, then I believed perseverance would be the mortar—the quiet strength holding everything together when pressure came.
I still believe that.
Perseverance has never been about never falling down.
It’s always been about getting back up.
Back then, I made a promise: to show up each morning with a fresh story—served simply, honestly, and drawn from lived experience. My words borrowed heavily from ancient wisdom, especially when life landed a heavy blow. When the count began, Scripture became my corner coach, calling me back to my feet.
Not because the fight was easy.
But because standing mattered.
That same truth applies now.
When the world feels upside down, perseverance isn’t loud. It’s faithful. It’s choosing to stand again—grounded not in headlines or fear, but in something sturdier and eternal.
This passage guided me then, and it still does now:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms… And after you have done everything, to stand.”
— Ephesians 6:10–13
Scripture quoted from the New International Version (NIV).
Standing doesn’t mean we aren’t weary.
It means we’re not finished.
Captain’s Addendum 🖖
Bones: “You know, Spock, humans keep acting surprised when hard seasons return.”
Spock: “Doctor, history indicates turbulence is not an anomaly—it is a constant.”
Michael: “Guess perseverance is just learning to stand without pretending the wind isn’t there.”
Mission Log
Status: Still standing
Lesson: Perseverance outlasts odd years
Course Correction: Faith first, fear last
Join me here: https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
I’m grateful for the early days that shaped my voice,
for the odd years that tested it,
and for the steady grace that keeps calling us to rise again.
May you find strength to stand today—
even if all you can do is stand quietly.
🖖 Live long. Prosper in purpose. Walk boldly in divine love.
No comments:
Post a Comment