Quarter Century Reflections
This past Wednesday, I celebrated my 25th birthday. It was a nice day filled with friends, cookies, and references to Spongebob Squarepants (after all, 25 is funnier than 24). When I told people that I was turning 25, some would remark that I was turning a quarter century or that I was halfway to 50. Suddenly, 25 seems a lot older when it's framed as the quarter century mark or even as halfway to 50. With all of that in mind, it only seemed natural to offer quarter century reflections, especially on the year that was 24.
It's funny how one of the best ways that we can reflect, learn lessons and see our own growth is through our writing. We can write letters to ourselves with things we wish we had known at the time. There's a true value to remembering, something I've been reminded of all year. We have to remember that God got us to where we are today and He will lead us to where we'll be tomorrow. We also have to remember where we came from and all that we've been through, especially when we're on the precipice of change. Speaking of change, it's through life's changes that we grow. Change can be hard, but we can't let that prevent us from taking opportunities that life presents us with. There's so much that we can learn from them. I've been thankful for the changes that 24 did present me with. Those changes can come with growing pains, though. But as we endure those changes, we have to keep going and maintain our focus.
When I glance at my blog post titles over the past year, some of them sound...morbid. "Wrong Road". "Missing Identity". "Losing Well". "Winning By Losing". "Second Fiddle". "Comfortable Misery". But the thing is, when I read back through those, I find joy in them because of the growth and lessons learned from those themes. Sometimes to get on the right road in life, we first have to go on the wrong road. Placing our identity in anything other than Jesus Christ leads to an unsatisfied life and constant longing for something more. Losing is a part of life and can teach us lessons in humility and how to handle defeat. Losing can also be the key to winning. We can gain a lot when we first give up or lose our lives for our own sake. Playing second fiddle may not be glamorous, but it is an important role and part to play. And ultimately, we're all "second fiddles" and side characters in God's story. Comfortable misery is just about the worst place to be, right there with rock bottom. If we ever find ourselves comfortable with our own misery, it's imperative that we address it with changes and are proactive about them.
There are other titles that I can look back through and be reminded by life's realities. A lot can happen all at once in life. One way or another, we will be okay and we can handle it. God wouldn't have us go through it if we couldn't handle it. Life has a way of getting really weird and unpredictable at times and we have to be okay with that (when it concerns college football, we can even enjoy it). Life can send us through chicanes that may slow down our journey, but can teach us a lot along the way. The way that we live our lives matters. That's what we'll ultimately remember. Life is definitely a balancing act with all of its demands and what we want to do or accomplish. Finding that balance means prioritizing and setting boundaries. Life is a collection of moments in time, moments that don't last that long. We need to enjoy those moments and soak them in. We'll be glad that we did.
Although this may be a case of recency, some of the biggest takeaways I've had over the past year have come in the past few weeks. I've been reminded that our concern should not be about seeking praise from the world, but from God. With that, we shouldn't be so caught up in what the world thinks of us. At the end of the day, our audience isn't anyone in this world; our audience is God. Even when it feels like no one sees what we're going through or the work that we're doing, we can take solace in knowing that God sees it all - and that's all that matters. And even if no one else does see our struggles, our successes, or our growth, we confide our struggles with God and rejoice in our successes and growth with God.
It's been eye opening to realize that God wants to hear from us in every season. After all, He already sees our happiness, joy, sadness, anger, fear, and so on. It only makes sense that we share that with Him and talk to Him about it. He wants to hear from us. Likewise, we should want to hear from Him. God places us in the roles that we're in not for our own glory and fame, but for His. He put us in those positions for such a time as this so that He can be glorified. Our lives take on a greater meaning when we live for Him, not ourselves. I'm reminded by the Sons of Korah when they wrote that a day in His courts are a better than a thousand anywhere else, or that it's better to be a doorkeeper in His house than to dwell in a tent of wickedness (Psalm 84:10). Wherever I am or whatever I'm going through, my prayer is that I would serve God faithfully and have that same mindset as the writer(s) of Psalm 84.
Going in to 2019, I had this ambitious goal to encourage one person every day. While I haven't been able to fully live that out, I have noticed that encouraging others (provided that it's genuine) has a way of not only building others up, but also ourselves. Encouragement has a way of putting others in a good mood and shifting your mind to look for the good in others (and yourself), not the bad. Looking for and building up the good also reinforces that behavior. Life's tough as is. Instead of putting others down, it's better to build others up. And as we encourage others, let us not forget to encourage ourselves. We're worth building ourselves up, too.
Building off last week's post about that being yourself, I've found freedom in living that out. We don't have to look at our quirks as a weakness. They are a part of who we are. And we don't have to look at ourselves as though there's something wrong with us or live in our head trying to figure out what's holding us back. We have to take that final step and remember that we are good enough through Jesus Christ. God made us who we are for a reason and a purpose - so that He could be glorified. Likewise, Christ gave His life up for us for a reason and a purpose - so that we could be with God and be justified through our faith in Him. We are good enough.
To close, it's been a blessing to look back on the year that was 24 and reflect on all the changes in growth in my life, changes and growth that I owe all to God. I'm reminded each day by how much I need Him. It's humbling and gratifying to have such great family and friends in my life, too. As I move forward with 25, I know that there's plenty of areas in my life for me to still grow and work on, areas that I hope I'll be able to reflect on this time next year. But in the meantime, I look forward to what God has in store for me as my life hits the quarter century mark. Cheers to 25 years!
It's funny how one of the best ways that we can reflect, learn lessons and see our own growth is through our writing. We can write letters to ourselves with things we wish we had known at the time. There's a true value to remembering, something I've been reminded of all year. We have to remember that God got us to where we are today and He will lead us to where we'll be tomorrow. We also have to remember where we came from and all that we've been through, especially when we're on the precipice of change. Speaking of change, it's through life's changes that we grow. Change can be hard, but we can't let that prevent us from taking opportunities that life presents us with. There's so much that we can learn from them. I've been thankful for the changes that 24 did present me with. Those changes can come with growing pains, though. But as we endure those changes, we have to keep going and maintain our focus.
When I glance at my blog post titles over the past year, some of them sound...morbid. "Wrong Road". "Missing Identity". "Losing Well". "Winning By Losing". "Second Fiddle". "Comfortable Misery". But the thing is, when I read back through those, I find joy in them because of the growth and lessons learned from those themes. Sometimes to get on the right road in life, we first have to go on the wrong road. Placing our identity in anything other than Jesus Christ leads to an unsatisfied life and constant longing for something more. Losing is a part of life and can teach us lessons in humility and how to handle defeat. Losing can also be the key to winning. We can gain a lot when we first give up or lose our lives for our own sake. Playing second fiddle may not be glamorous, but it is an important role and part to play. And ultimately, we're all "second fiddles" and side characters in God's story. Comfortable misery is just about the worst place to be, right there with rock bottom. If we ever find ourselves comfortable with our own misery, it's imperative that we address it with changes and are proactive about them.
There are other titles that I can look back through and be reminded by life's realities. A lot can happen all at once in life. One way or another, we will be okay and we can handle it. God wouldn't have us go through it if we couldn't handle it. Life has a way of getting really weird and unpredictable at times and we have to be okay with that (when it concerns college football, we can even enjoy it). Life can send us through chicanes that may slow down our journey, but can teach us a lot along the way. The way that we live our lives matters. That's what we'll ultimately remember. Life is definitely a balancing act with all of its demands and what we want to do or accomplish. Finding that balance means prioritizing and setting boundaries. Life is a collection of moments in time, moments that don't last that long. We need to enjoy those moments and soak them in. We'll be glad that we did.
Although this may be a case of recency, some of the biggest takeaways I've had over the past year have come in the past few weeks. I've been reminded that our concern should not be about seeking praise from the world, but from God. With that, we shouldn't be so caught up in what the world thinks of us. At the end of the day, our audience isn't anyone in this world; our audience is God. Even when it feels like no one sees what we're going through or the work that we're doing, we can take solace in knowing that God sees it all - and that's all that matters. And even if no one else does see our struggles, our successes, or our growth, we confide our struggles with God and rejoice in our successes and growth with God.
It's been eye opening to realize that God wants to hear from us in every season. After all, He already sees our happiness, joy, sadness, anger, fear, and so on. It only makes sense that we share that with Him and talk to Him about it. He wants to hear from us. Likewise, we should want to hear from Him. God places us in the roles that we're in not for our own glory and fame, but for His. He put us in those positions for such a time as this so that He can be glorified. Our lives take on a greater meaning when we live for Him, not ourselves. I'm reminded by the Sons of Korah when they wrote that a day in His courts are a better than a thousand anywhere else, or that it's better to be a doorkeeper in His house than to dwell in a tent of wickedness (Psalm 84:10). Wherever I am or whatever I'm going through, my prayer is that I would serve God faithfully and have that same mindset as the writer(s) of Psalm 84.
Going in to 2019, I had this ambitious goal to encourage one person every day. While I haven't been able to fully live that out, I have noticed that encouraging others (provided that it's genuine) has a way of not only building others up, but also ourselves. Encouragement has a way of putting others in a good mood and shifting your mind to look for the good in others (and yourself), not the bad. Looking for and building up the good also reinforces that behavior. Life's tough as is. Instead of putting others down, it's better to build others up. And as we encourage others, let us not forget to encourage ourselves. We're worth building ourselves up, too.
Building off last week's post about that being yourself, I've found freedom in living that out. We don't have to look at our quirks as a weakness. They are a part of who we are. And we don't have to look at ourselves as though there's something wrong with us or live in our head trying to figure out what's holding us back. We have to take that final step and remember that we are good enough through Jesus Christ. God made us who we are for a reason and a purpose - so that He could be glorified. Likewise, Christ gave His life up for us for a reason and a purpose - so that we could be with God and be justified through our faith in Him. We are good enough.
To close, it's been a blessing to look back on the year that was 24 and reflect on all the changes in growth in my life, changes and growth that I owe all to God. I'm reminded each day by how much I need Him. It's humbling and gratifying to have such great family and friends in my life, too. As I move forward with 25, I know that there's plenty of areas in my life for me to still grow and work on, areas that I hope I'll be able to reflect on this time next year. But in the meantime, I look forward to what God has in store for me as my life hits the quarter century mark. Cheers to 25 years!
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| (22 Years Earlier) |
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