It’s been the most remarkable year of my life.
At many points, 2018 felt like the worst year of my life. While some losses looked pretty rough on paper, there was more to this year than the number of tissues that I cried into. So, on this New Year’s Eve, I’m taking stock on how I lived through a rocky ride around the sun.
The following list captures a snapshot of how God’s power, love, and provision carried me through the last 365 days. I can see how God empowered me to experience tremendous peace and accomplish more than I could have ever imagined, even as much of my life collapsed around me.
I’m grateful for the following hard-fought lessons. They are carved into my soul and I hope that they stay with me the rest of my life.
So, here’s my top 18 for 2018. This is from the list of 39 lessons that I wrote down in my journal yesterday:
1. Life with God is a much better risk than doing life on my own terms.
2. The day after a bad day is a new day, so I can always start again.
3. Be kind at all times.
4. I will cry when necessary and make no apologies.
5. A long walk and a podcast will keep me from saying or doing things that I’ll regret later.
6. It’s not my job to fix anyone.
7. An unhurried life is a happier life.
8. A good night’s sleep is a good thing every night, not every now and then.
9. Sometimes, doing hard things will make me cry. I will do those hard things anyways.
10. When I am emotionally healthy, toxic and unsafe people will avoid me.
11. I trust God’s love for me, even when my circumstances are tough.
12. Living with purpose heals emotional pain.
13. Forgiveness is a practice. I get better at it the more that I do it.
14. I will not judge my self-worth by the number on the bathroom scale.
15. Honest and healthy friendships leads to healing.
16. Experiences are much more satisfying than stuff.
17. Fasting one day a week increases my self-control.
18. When I stay in the present I worry less about the future.
18. The prayer that God answers is, “God, changI don’t know if you’ll find these helpful, but I figured that I’d share them anyway. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know if any of these inspire you. Even better, write out your own list and share it with the people in your life!
One final note…Thank you for joining me on the wild ride of 2018! Whether you engaged with me on a blog post, attended one of my events, purchased one (or more) of my books, or completed one of my Bible studies, I’m grateful for you. Thank you for your love and support, friends!
If you want to ride along with me in 2019, drop your email address below for email delivery.
