Man, I feel like I’ve written this same post time and time again where I talk about what I expected in life and what actually happened. I guess it’s just one of those things that’ll take falling on my face many times to learn: life will not always go as I plan.
But don’t we all that thing that keeps us humble?
2020 was, admittedly, a hard year (for everyone). 2021, on the other hand, has been a roller coaster where I’ve learned more about who I am, what I believe, and how I handle relationships and tough situations than I ever thought I would in a 1.5 month timespan.
Basically, it’s forced me to reevaluate everything I thought I wanted, brought me to my knees, and at the same time, reminded me of how strong I am, and that I can be my own best advocate.
I’m going to try to spill my heart (as I often do here) without divulging too much, because as I’ve grown a bit older, the sacredness of privacy is becoming more and more real. Guarding my heart and protecting my privacy has become a top concern in my life recently.
With that said, here’s what I’ve learned in the beautifully difficult 1.5 months of 2021:
You don’t always get what you want (and sometimes that’s a blessing)
As the type-A planner that I am, I love 3-year, 5-year, and, yes, 10-year plans. But they, truthfully, never go as planned. I think at some points in our lives, we get knocked down/humbled enough to finally realize that God’s plans are so much bigger and more beautiful than anything we could dream. That’s what has happened to me, and while it’s painful, I’ve already seen the beautiful fruits that come from following Him. It’s not always easy, because our humanly desires get in the way, but fully surrendering brings far more joy and peace than anything we could’ve planned.
Being intentional in what you say and do not only helps you, but helps every single person you come in contact with
Intentionality in what we say and do is very important. I don’t think I fully understood that over the past decade. I very often thought of what I wanted and my feelings and my desires, and I can see how that has hurt others. And I can see how it ultimately hurt myself.
Being intentional means thinking before we speak and act. It means not acting out of emotion or fear. It’s a hard practice, but at the end of the day it’s absolutely worth it.
God is ALWAYS faithful
Period. We don’t always understand what He’s doing and why He’s doing it, but trusting in His Divine Will brings so much peace. And while I’ve been going through some you know what, I can absolutely feel His presence in my life.
God is ALWAYS good
Also, period. “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9“
It’s hard to see goodness in suffering, right? We home in on that suffering and the pain we’re feeling, without looking around to see what goodness is being poured into our lives.
And trust me, I don’t say that callously. I know there are tremendous sufferings in this life and it’s hard to see beyond them in the moment. Also trust me when I tell you that God is still working good in our lives when we’re faced with trials.
LOVE your friends and family with all that you have
Finally, love your family and your friends with all you have. Lean into them. Open up to them. Let them love you right where you are. Cry snotty tears into their shoulders and sweatshirts. Let them embrace you. I can guarantee, as someone who has done this a lot in the past couple of months, it helps you heal. And it also helps you become more compassionate about what’s going on in THEIR lives.
Writing this out has been helpful for me and I hope it brought you a glimmer of hope if that’s what you need. I pray you always know the love of Christ in your life. He is always, always with you even when life feels hard and daunting.
