Holy cow. That was quite the year. I can’t pretend that this past year was the best year ever. 2020 held several curve balls that really threw me for a spin. If you had asked me 5 years ago where I thought I was going to be today, I can assure you that my description would be nothing like what we just lived through.
It was a hard year, but in some ways it was also a good year. The Lord gave me little pockets of sunshine to remind me that He sees me even in the painful moments. Like all the other years of my life, there were highs and lows. This year’s lows seemed extra low, but the Lord still highlighted the highs this year too.
So, this list is not a list of my highlights from this year because I can’t just ignore the hurt that we experienced, but it’s also not a list of all my complaints because the reality is God was at work, and we can rejoice in that too! These are the things I learned, and I’m taking with me into 2021. Not all of them are very profound realizations, but they stood out to me this year (:
20 takeaways from 2020...
- love first – no matter their political beliefs, personal choices, or opinions of you
- when i’m in a difficult season of life, the Lord still likes to “wink at me” (this is the term I like to use for the small joys or the little moments where I feel the Lord saying “I got you”)
- online school is HARD, but it’s possible
- my friends can live all over the country & still be my best friends
- my parents have been 20 years old too, so they understand everything I’m thinking and feeling
- “abiding in the Lord” requires me to intentionally remain in Him (yes, in my morning devotionals, but also at all times throughout the day)
- rest is not a bad thing, but don’t let it lead to laziness
- I’m actually an enneagram 9 and an INFP (myers briggs)
- Elevation Worship’s album “Graves Into Gardens” is my favorite (I’m listening to it as I type this haha)
- my confidence comes from who God says I am
- goodbyes are hard, and there’s no way around that
- I can design tattoos – I designed two this year & I had no idea I could do that!
- I can enjoy being single and desire a relationship (those things are not mutually exclusive)
- making friends over Zoom is possible!
- my parents let my friends live with us for several weeks, and to be honest I did not think they’d say yes to that!
- planning for the future is good as long as I don’t hold onto my plans too tightly (Proverbs 16:9)
- take pictures of everything – I always appreciate the memories later
- I cannot compare my life to someone else’s instagram profile
- people pleasing is not the same as love (love is 1 Corinthians 13 & 1 John 4)
- good things can still come out of hard years
Overall, 2020 proved to be a whirlwind! I’m learning how to acknowledge the not-so-great moments instead of suppressing them, and I’m learning to celebrate God’s mercies that are new with every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Here’s to continued growth, new experiences, and God’s work in all things that come our way in 2021!
Happy new year, friend! You are loved <3