Seven Lessons From 2017

Well folks, here we are.

2017 has come to an end and we've got a brand spankin' new year to look forward to!

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

Last year, on the final day of 2016, I wrote a blog post on the topic of having heard people continuously say that "2016 had been the worst year ever", and while some may say the same thing about 2017, this post is going to have a different, less rant-y feel to it.

The last line in the post I made last year still rings true this year, that 2017:

"...was a year of changes and some hardships, but ultimately a year that God used in order to shape and grow each of us as individuals, in many different ways."

Here are seven lessons that I learned in 2017 (in no particular order), that I'm partially documenting for your information, but also for my own benefit as I hope to remember these and continue to apply them into next year. Also let's keep in mind that I undoubtedly learned more than seven things over the past 365 days.

The first lesson that I learned in 2017 and have come to really believe in is that leaving your comfort zone is one of the most formational things you can do as a young adult. Or not as a young adult. I just happen to be a young adult, is all.
My final speech in my Art of Communication class this past semester (aka the semester that just ended) was all about how I've experienced numerous situations from September through December that were super uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone, but I'd have to say that those are the experiences that have shaped me and grown me the most! Therefore, they have been the most formational. So get out of your comfort zone every once in awhile and try something that you've never imagined yourself doing before! It'll be worth it, I can almost guarantee.

Learning how to rest, has been another important lesson and theme that has played a role in my life this year. I'm sure a number of you will remember my tale of falling down a mountainside in Scotland in August, and severely spraining my ankle. The Lord taught me a huge lesson about rest in the days and weeks following that incident as I suffered through the healing process. I learned about the need to implement rest into my life in different circumstances, not just when recovering from an injury.

A third lesson - and virtue - that I've come to value deeply in 2017 is honesty. And man, this one can be reeeal tough. Especially when you find yourself in a situation wherein your honest response in the moment is "I feel very awkward and uncomfortable right now and I don't know what to say." Yeah... That is something that I've actually said recently. For real though, it's far more worth it in the long run to be honest. It's better than having to say "Ummm... let me just backtrack for a second, because I actually lied before." And yup. Something else that I've actually said. Sooo pls. Just be honest. It's may seem like a necessary evil in the short run, but in the long run? Worth. It.

Trusting God is another lesson I've learned this year; fourth on this list, but actually the most important lesson. When someone asks me what I've been working on in my faith-life, I'm pretty sure my response has been "Learning how to trust God" for the past six years, at least. It's a process, fam. A lifelong one. But recognizing that He can be trusted with everything and in everything is a daily choice. And it doesn't come easily. But it's something else that's worth it in the long run.

Lesson numero cinq (5) is that you've gotta learn to believe in yourself! This one has been a toughy for me because I've always found it hard to believe in myself when I've always been told to believe and trust in God. I'm sure you can understand my confusion. Maybe. But in 2017 I've learned that it's important to not sell yourself short, you've gotta know what you're capable of, and stand up for that. You need to be able to determine what are lies from Satan about who you are and what you can do. And always remember that you are eternally loved.

A video that I was shown in early 2017 that has been super important to me throughout the year is Carl Lentz's video on dating. I could take a bunch of time explaining it to you, but just go watch it - it's five minutes long! Pretty much, he says a lot of good, quotable things about occupying your street, and doing what you're doing for God. He also talks about Matthew 6:33, and how we know that if we seek God's Kingdom first, He will give us everything we need. Including (but not limited to) a life partner. Seriously tho... Just watch the video.

A lesson that I've been thinking on for awhile, but has really become important to me recently is to GET OFF MY PHONE. I hate the fact that my generation is literally KNOWN for always always always being on our phones! And I hate feeling the need to look at my phone whenever I hear a notification sound go off. So I've been keeping my phone on Do Not Disturb about ninety percent of the time lately, so that I can choose when I want to look at it, and it cannot possibly interrupt a human interaction that I'm having. One of my friends and I have also made a New Year's Resolution to not use our phones in class. I can admit that it'll be a bit tough at first, but I know I'll get so much more out of my classes this way. I just wish I'd made this decision before my last semester of school..... Ah well. Hindsight is 20/20, amiright?

'Til 2018, my friends! Thank you for reading my blog, talking to me about it, telling me that it's encouraged you or that you've simply enjoyed my posts. I appreciate that so much more than you know! And there's lots more to come; the gears never stop turnin over here.