2023: The word of the year was REST. Did I follow through with this well? Absolutely not… I feel like I did better than I did in 2022, but overall the word “NO” needs to enter my vocabulary more often than it has been. I’m a people pleaser and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)  is definitely real.

I am so grateful to God for reminding me this past year of my passion for writing. I have come up with a long list of concepts and lessons I have learned throughout the year that I had intended to make blog posts out of as I went along. Unfortunately, I didn’t prioritize my time well enough to write out full posts. I still plan to put those posts out there but will need to flesh them out before I start clicking the “Publish” button too quickly. I figured the best way to get something out to conclude 2023 would be to do an overview of the lessons God has taught me throughout the year. There were multiple themes that kept popping up in messages, conversations, songs, and everything in between. Because these lessons keep being added upon, I believe they weren’t meant to be posted right away. 

So without further adieu, here are some of the themes of the lessons I learned and am still working on from 2023:

1. REST

Rest isn’t just about sleeping or even just taking a day off. It is about being intentional to sit in God’s presence without distractions. In order to do so, I learned preparation is key! Another way to ensure rest is to set boundaries in order to have that time to be with the Father and be in true communion with Him. There are many spiritual disciplines that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do and I wasn’t going to with that mindset. I have thankfully shifted to believing that if I pray for self-discipline and set my mind to living a God centered life there is nothing that can stand in my way and all the other pieces will follow after my obedience. I believe that God is asking me to rest because He has something bigger in store for my future that I need to be prepared for not and not too worn out to handle. I am looking forward to seeing how God uses this revelation of what rest truly means for me and my walk with Him in this new year!

2. TRUST vs. WORRY & FAITH/FEAR

I mentioned a lot of this lesson in a previous post from the Lent series at church. My husband left his job in February and I was working part time with little pay at the time. I didn’t start at my current job until mid-April, but thankfully he had started working again by then. I am proud of how we didn’t go into full panic mode no matter how many questioned our sanity during that time period where we ultimately felt peace in trusting God. Anxiety about finances reared its’ ugly head every now and then but it was definitely a lesson in knowing God provides especially when he is the one calling you to something greater.

3.  KEEPING THE FAITH

There were days before I started my role as a case manager in April that I had to hold onto faith that God had something better in store for me than a part time job that not only wasn’t paying much of the bills but was leading to high tension emotions and nonstop stress. I persevered until I knew I was free and experiencing how he delivered me is still a blessing to me to this day!

4. EMBRACING MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST

I struggled this year in remembering WHOSE I am and WHY He calls me HIS. I had trauma resurface where I felt like I went back in time and was re-experiencing some messy situations that had me feeling the way I did back then, in the present. I felt like I was backsliding in my progress of healing from the past. It was a realization that I had more to work through than I had been willing to admit in previous therapy sessions. I intend to be more disciplined in speaking with my therapist regularly and setting achievable goals this new year to further my relationship with God, strengthen my faith and confidence, move on from the pain, and use what I have learned to positively impact others. I plan to do studies focused on my identity as a Daughter of the King, so I can remember how VICTORIOUS I truly am in Jesus.

5. PRAISING WHEN IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE

Worship through song and dance has always been my go-to. Feeling joyful? Put on a worship song. Feeling confused? Put on a worship song. Feeling distraught? Put on a worship song. The lesson I learned through doing this over this past year is that no matter what your feeling or experiencing do not forget your NEED for God in all circumstances. God is the SAME no matter what you’re going through and He loves you through it all. He deserves all praise always. It is easier said than done but I see it as an exercise in practicing gratitude.

6. PUTTING ON THE ARMOR OF GOD & FIGHTING BACK WITH JOY

I completed 2 Bible studies this past summer and fall with lovely people in a small group setting. The leader of the group is a dear friend and woman I look up to as a fierce prayer warrior and inspiration.  These 2 studies impacted me more than I could have imagined because they showed me my strengths as well as the areas I need to work on. It was such a hopeful part of this year because even though the lessons sometimes hurt when they hit home, they brought action items that would allow for growth. I am more prepared to create Battle Plans against the enemy who is real and out to destroy. As a follower of Christ, I am more powerful than anything the enemy throws my way because I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me.

7. COMING TO JESUS FOR REST AND REDIRECTION

And so it comes back to REST! Matthew 11:28-30 would not stop appearing toward the end of this year. I finally went to the altar seeking prayer asking my friend to pray for me to understand what to do with these verses that say:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

I eventually came to the conclusion that I was taking on too many service opportunities and not making the time to spend with God to be filled back up after pouring out all week. It was a time to reevaluate what ministry opportunities I should hold onto and which ones I needed to let go of at least for now. It was painful and difficult but worth it for the peace I am feeling going into the new year with a plan and set of goals to work toward. Now, I will be able to be near to God rather than pushing Him away with the belief that “I got this, and I am doing this for the Kingdom so it must be the right choice.” Following God’s call means I can no longer try to lead the way.

So, I come to Jesus seeking His yoke and laying down my burdens at His feet. I wouldn’t want any other teacher showing me the way to a FULL life! I am blessed beyond measure and am looking forward to a new year!

I believe God is calling me to 2 new words in 2024:

1. REFOCUS
2. RESTORE

I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)-Combined Type just this past March. As an adult woman who has received other mental health diagnoses for the past 14 years, this was both a relief and extremely frustrating. The diagnosis explains the additional impulsiveness, rapid-speech, easily being distracted, and so much more. There are still so many misconceptions about ADHD so because my grades didn’t suffer in school, no one thought to assess me. The procrastination alone would have been a red flag if I had known the different presentations of ADHD in females. All that to say, I am easily distracted usually not by negative things but I am unable to focus on the important thing right in front of me and I forget what I was doing or saying because I go off on adventures in my mind and a lot of the time don’t end up where I started until later in the day or not at all. SO refocusing on what is important in life this upcoming year will be a breath of fresh air.

As far as restoration goes, the word REST is within this word for the year. I feel as though it is not just God giving me another chance at resting but also showing me that this can be a year of true healing if I will just lay down my doubts and fears about not being able to heal from emotional scars. I am tired of allowing my list of health issues to take over how God sees me and wants me to see myself. I need to work on restoring my thoughts when it comes to relationships that still have wounds lingering. I am only holding myself back when I don’t release the hurt and trust God to use it for good as He always does. God can and will restore me if I will just humble myself and believe.

Based on how God moved in my life in 2023, 2024 is going to be a GOOD year because God is GOOD!

I hope this encourages someone today as you reflect on this past year. We all are on different journeys but one thing is the same, God is with us all always!