What 2018 Taught Us

As the year comes to end, it's so important to reflect on the year, the good, bad and the in between. This year, we've accomplished so much together and individually. Here's what we've learned ...

2018 taught me something so simple - TRUST, but on another level. What does it mean to trust?  I learned this lesson the hard way! Many of us trust God, but to an extent. The part where I struggle is when what I’m trusting God for is “taking too long”. When it seems like God is taking his time, and I need something to move now, that’s when its hard. I learned that no matter what, I have to trust and not let the amount of time that has passed, make me forget what God said he would do for me.

This year had been filled with new opportunities, friendships, and more. Those blessings started happening for me when I let go of what I had in mind and decide to REALLY trust God with my life, 100%. A lot of us have more trust in that job than we do God, we put more trust into a relationship than we do God, we put more trust in our bank accounts than we do God - but what happens if he takes that away? Would you still be able to trust God without the “thing” that means so much to you?

I’ve learned that it’s easier to have faith about something when you aren’t necessarily suffering for it or living without it. It’s easier to believe God for a new job when you currently have one, but the faith and trust, on another level, comes when you don’t have a job at all, or lost your job or can’t find full-time work, I’ve been there before.. It’s easier to believe God for new friendships when you currently have friends, but trust on another level is when you have lost friendships or relationships and you are alone. Trust on another level is when you still believe even when what you see seems like it’s getting worse. Sometimes it takes us being alone or without to really experience the faithfulness of God, on another level.

The moment I decided to completely surrender my ways and my thoughts, to his plans for my life and accept what’s not in his will for my life, that is when I started to see blessings where he has made all things new for me in 2018. God says “Forget the former things, I am doing a new thing” and in 2018, he did just that! I am grateful and looking forward to the new year and fresh start he has for me in 2019.

2018 has been a YEAR to say the least. It’s been the year of the WAIT in every area of my life along with learning to accept what is. Here’s the thing, I’m the type of person who knows exactly what I want in life and what I would like that to look like. However,  2018 has been the year of waiting and preparing for me.

This year has derailed my plans and forced me to learn how to wait and accept the cards that God has given me. It’s forced me to look myself in the mirror and have intimate conversations with God about “what’s next” for me in my life. Those conversations with God have allowed me to see that it's not always about me, but what He can do through me. I've had the recent revelation that before God can take me to new levels, I have to confront and leave excess baggage, negative thoughts, and mediocrity in the past. And boy was that hard for me to do, but so neccessary.

This year has shown me the importance of having a consistent relationship with God, who my real friends are, and how important it is to take time to spend with family and loved ones.  I’ve learned to accept people and situations for who they are, no exceptions. I’ve learned firsthand that when people show me their character to believe them, when something isn’t for me, it won’t work out and to stop venting/complaining to people and start praying to God.

In this season of my life, I’ve really had to learn to sit still and wait. To wait on the things that I’ve been praying and wishing for. 2018 has shown me that the wait is in preparation of the harvest. 2018 was the year of preparation for me and once I realized that, all the hurdles and closed doors made sense.

In 2019, I'm coming for EVERYTHING I've been praying and hoping for. I intend to take every lesson I've learned and use it to my advantage. 2018 was the preparationg but 2019, is the execution!