Be patient, therefore brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. -James 5:7
This year of 2025 not only took me to Japan to see the cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, but also up to the North east to see the beautiful foliage colors of New England in the fall. Reflecting on these wonderful blessings God carried me to paused me to consider what He was teaching me through these experiences. What does God teach us through the seasons in our lives anyway? Why do we have seasons in the first place? Well if we look to nature, we need these periods of time to plant, to grow, to prune, and to finally harvest. Just as , Ecclesiastes says, there is a season for all things. James teaches us we need to be patient in the season we are in now.
Each member of the Brunken Ohana is going through their own season.
Micah, our youngest son embarked on the high school journey. He continues to develop his creative skills in sketching and more recently, learning to play the guitar.
Nathan, our middle continued to brave the sub zero temperatures in Alaska where he started his second year of college at the University of Fairbanks. We are all happy to have him back on the island to defrost for a bit over the holidays.
Andrew continues in his college studies on the island while working part time at Hanalani schools molding young minds as a teacher. As the old Hanalani schools motto goes, Heaven’s work! He is also very active in our church worship ministries learning to play the drums this year.
Daniel and I are discovering the joys and challenges of parenting young adult kids. How fast they grow!
The Women Physician and Dentist in Christ (WPDC) group that God gave me a vision for starting in Hawaii is slowly coming along. God has certainly taught me to be patient in this. A group of us met in person last month for brunch. What a joy and comfort it was to share life with these sisters in our unique positions as women healers.
When I attended the WPDC conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I learned the dayanu prayer. This comes from a song sung at the Jewish Passover Seder. The Hebrew phrase means "it would have been enough," expressing deep gratitude for God's numerous miracles during the Exodus from Egypt, highlighting that each single blessing (like deliverance, manna, Torah, entering Israel) would have been sufficient, yet God provided so much more. We learned to pray this our own way and with each other.
Lord, if you healed me from my addiction and not brought me through ten years of sobriety this year, Dayenu! it would have been enough. Lord if you brought me through ten years of sobriety and not have restored my marriage of 24 years, Dayenu! it would have been enough. Lord if you restored my marriage of 24 years and not have taken me to the places and people I met this year, Dayenu! it would have been enough. And so on….
Sometimes you may be going through some struggles or a season in life that is a hard. It does’t mean God isn’t there. He is actually working . He is there, planting, watching, while we grow.
Those are the times, I invite you to pray the deyanu prayer as a reflection of gratitude for the seasons our Lord almighty has carried you through.
Then we too can be patient in the seasons of this life until the coming of our Lord.
Happy New Year!
-Hopeful girl Janette
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