It was a busy, busy year for me with school, working some, taking care of our home and Derek, writing, running, and a little bit of not-so-fun tasks too. I did slow down enough to learn more about myself this year in the different aspects that make up, well, ME. :) Here are a few highlights of what I learned this year..
Spiritually:
I'm not bitter about this, but God told me "no" and "not now" a lot more than I thought He would this year. I've had my share of "YES" years where everything seemed to be working out in my favor and just how I wanted, but 2013 was not one of them. And, I am glad. It's not that I have a problem with being denied something; I handle that pretty well, actually. I think what surprised me most is that as I grew in my prayer life, I could distinctly discern what He was saying to me. Growing closer to Him through prayer to hear a loud "no" sounds weird, right? But, I'm glad it happened that way in 2013.
I don't think this was a lesson in patience as much as it has been a lesson in contentment. I am learning how to be joyful with "no" as it is when God tells me "yes". I am just glad that I graduated from working on being patient! He and I have done our time together on that... :)
Physically:
I worked out harder this year than I had in recent ones. I mean, I flipped out when I saw some muscle definition on my body that never existed before! Thanks, CG (Camp Gladiator). ;) I also pushed myself further than ever before by running my first half marathon. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was (thankfully), and I have come to embrace discipline in my training and fitness. That was a big thing for this free-spirited lady! I'm excited to tackle some more fitness related goals in 2014. I might be signing up for something more than 13.1 miles soon--stay tuned!
Marriage:
Derek and I have had A LOT of growing experiences in our first two years of marriage. Of this, we are very aware. 2013 taught me that there are two other reset buttons in marriage, neither of which include leaving: 1) right now and 2) tomorrow morning. We have been working on getting over offenses and arguments more quickly, and I am getting better at changing my attitude "right now" before I get too deep. That doesn't always work, so I'm thankful for "tomorrow mornings" to revisit a situation more levelheaded!
Professionally:
I dedicated more time this year to being a student versus an employee, which was a hard transition to make because I enjoy working. But, it was one of the best decisions as I now get to look forward to beginning an internship in advertising as a copywriter! I am SO excited about it.
Outside of this professional growth opportunity, I also finished writing a portion of a book that my family wrote together. It will be published in 2014. In short, the book reflects on a difficult time we went through in 2009 and how we each saw the situation and got through it. We are excited about the book as we see it as a ministry opportunity, especially for pastoral and ministry families. Because I am a private person, I was initially overwhelmed at the thought of having to transparently write about my feelings towards my dad, my former church, the media, and other things. I was afraid to open that old emotional vault too, which was exhausting during the writing period. Yet, I was reminded that how I get through the hard times I go through in life can greatly influence someone else going through the same or a similar situation. I learned to not worry about my portion, and I kept full trust in the Holy Spirit as I wrote each line. I can't wait to see how it impacts lives!
May 2014 be an incredible year for you. In each new day, with the good and bad, my hope is that you'll look back at the end of the new year and meditate on all of your lessons learned. Seize the growth opportunities and find joy in the process!
Happy New Year, friends! Xo
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