What 2021 Taught Me
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Like any other new year, I like to sit and take the time to look back and reflect on the previous year. 2021 was a year full of so many memories, laughter, love and joy. And a year full of learning too.
I didn’t even quite realize the magnitude of what 2021 taught me until I started putting it into words here.
2021 Taught Me…
2021 taught me that life is incredibly short, but it can still be lived incredibly full. We all have no idea how much time we have to live, but while we’re here we can fill our lives with strong relationships, impactful service, memories of joy and laughter, and a legacy of kindness.
If you knew you had 100 years to live, would you wait until your 99th year to start living a life for Jesus and serving others or would you start right away? Would you wait until your 90s to start being truly kind or would you live it daily? Heck no you wouldn’t wait on those things.
Life is fragile, live it to the fullest extent of your ability and show more love to everyone you come in contact with. That’s what 2021 taught me.
2021 Taught Me…
2021 taught me that peace is attainable and liveable. Peace can be attained through living the Word and loving Jesus, and sometimes we have things in our life preventing us from fully doing so. And so those things need to be put down in order to truly live that peace. I had something in my life that started out as pure joy and that I felt God had led me to years prior. But it got to the point where it overtook me, my thoughts, my actions, my relationships, and you guessed it- my peace too.
I was feeling so lost and praying for guidance. And one day my husband spoke words to me that truly felt like they were from God in the purest sign from Him. And as soon as he spoke I knew in my heart it was right and that chapter of my life God had led me to three years before was coming to a close, and I was truly okay with that.
Since that decision I have felt a peace in my soul like no other. I was distracted from the life God had given me and all the blessings in it. Now I live with peace. That’s what 2021 taught me.
2021 Taught Me…
2021 taught me that just because you want something doesn’t mean that it’s in God’s plan for you, or that His timing is now simply because you want it now. I love the power of God’s sweet, perfect timing but I hadn’t had that belief and trust put to the test in a while until this past year. My husband will always be my best example of God’s timing and when I look at him, I feel that still to this day. And since we got married over two years ago life has been so fun, so blessed, and full of love and growth. I have been so content in all that God has given us. But then my trust in God’s timing got put to the test and I struggled.
I had to remind myself that it is all in God’s hands, no matter what. Just because some things in our lives come so easy and smooth and seem effortless or like God didn’t have a hand in it, He did. And He will for everything to come too.
Just because I want something now doesn’t mean God has prepared me for it, or that it is in His sweet perfect timing yet. That’s what 2021 taught me.
2021 Taught Me…
2021 taught me to take better care of the body God gives you- He only gives you one. I remember in middle school, high school, and even years in college where I just hated my body and the way I looked. I was never confident in my body and no matter how much I worked out or ate healthy or magic quick fixes I never liked how I looked. Even once I gained confidence in other areas of my appearance I still just hated my body.
This past year I took charge of my health instead of just thinking about my weight and looking a certain way. I fell in love with exercise and that has been an on again/off again relationship over the last year, but it still challenged me in ways I loved and I got stronger- mentally and physically. I stopped caring so much about how my body looked and started focusing on how my body felt. And somehow in that process I stopped resenting what I saw in the mirror. I struggled for a few months not seeing the scale move, but I could tell I was getting stronger and that was a huge confidence boost. I did a lot of other things last year to put emphasis on whole body health which I will be sharing in an upcoming blog post.
But for now just know this- if you are unhappy in the one body God gave you, try to see that body as a blessing to embrace and take care of, as a true gift that you want to love and enjoy. That’s what 2021 taught me.
2021 Taught Me…
2021 taught me to romanticize your own life. If you’re not in love with the life you’re living, why not? Like I already mentioned, life is short but life can be so full. There are many different schools of thought and definitions on the phrase ‘romanticize your life’ but to be clear, my version of this phrase and the way I mean it here is to fall in love with every aspect of your life. Be in love with your family, your home, your job, your friends, all the big and little details of life. Look at them as beautiful blessings- because they are. It’s more important to have a life that feels good rather than one that looks good. But if you are truly in love with your life, it’s going to look beautiful too and there’s nothing wrong with that.
To be honest, I love the ‘highlight reels’ of social media because I can see that people are loving their lives. Yes everyone struggles with things behind the little squares and videos you see online, but when you’re in love with your life in real life it makes those struggles a heck of a lot easier to deal with.
I have fallen in love with areas of my life I didn’t even know I could and I look at my life in a more loving way now, full of so much gratitude. That’s what 2021 taught me.
2021, like any other year, had its ups and downs. But as I sit here in the first week of 2022 reflecting, I am grateful. These are just the big life lessons I learned over the past year that I am able to put into words. But there are so many other blessings that came from 2021 that I don’t have the space for here, or that I want to keep in my own heart.
I urge you to take the time to sit and ponder what 2021 taught you as you lean into all the blessings coming your way in 2022. This was a great reminder for me of all the things I am carrying with me into this new year that I hope to grow deeper into.
I pray your 2021 was full of blessings that you can see and reflect back on, and I hope 2022 is even better for you. I pray that this new year renews your sense of hope in Jesus and hope for your future. I pray your new year is full of joy and peace that can only come from God. I pray that you dream big dreams and make big plans while simultaneously praying for guidance along the way. And I pray that if your day, week, or month doesn’t turn out as well as you had hoped or planned, I pray that you have the ability to give yourself some grace. I pray you learn new things this year, make new memories, and dive into new experiences. I pray you grow a stronger bond and trust with God to lead you where He needs you, and guide you where He wants you. I pray that this is the year you are led closer to God. Amen.
All the love,
