14 Pieces of Wisdom I’m Taking Away from 2024
It’s funny how you go into a new year with a certain idea of how it’s going to unfold…
Only to find yourself 12 months later, thinking, “Well…I didn’t see that coming.”
This time last year, we thought we were going to be moving from the sunny utopia of Newport Beach, California to the misty, mountainous city of Seattle.
Had we ever been there before? Nope.
Nonetheless, we booked our flights with one goal in mind: get to Seattle, drive around to all the different cities we’d been looking at on Zillow (Everett, Bothell, Issaquah, Graham), and hopefully get a “gut feeling” as to whether or not this was the next place God was calling us.
So, on January 10, 2024, we hopped on a plane from SNA to SEA—90% sure that Seattle was going to be our new home.
Little did we know that God had a very different plan for the year ahead…
Within 48 hours, I found myself looking over at Jordan and asking, “So, what are you thinking?” (Up until this point, we hadn’t told each other ANYTHING we were thinking or feeling.)
Without any hesitation, he replied: “Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about Kansas.”
Little did he know, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kansas either.
And in that moment, as we merged onto the highway, a car sped up and merged into our lane.
I leaned forward in my seat and squinted my eyes, thinking to myself “Hey, I recognize that license plate…”
Sure enough, in God’s sense of humor, it’s a Kansas license plate—in the middle of tiny town in Washington, population: 34,778.
And in that moment, we knew: we were moving to Kansas.
All this to say, nothing could have prepared us for this divine course-correction of our fickle, man-made plans (Proverbs 16:9).
Kansas was the place I swore I’d never move back to. But as I sit here now (in Kansas!), almost a year later, I can’t imagine having our year play out any other way.
This is where we’re supposed to be—for the next 5 years or 50 years. And as I type this, the words, “Thank you, Jesus” are on repeat—resounding in my heart and soul.
Thank you, Jesus.
With that, I want to begin this new year by first reflecting on this past year…
Jordan and I agree that 2024 was one of the biggest years of growth we’ve yet to experience. The entire year was one new change—and challenge—after another: a new role at work for me, a new job for Jordan, a new Amazon business that didn’t work out the way we thought it would, a new church, a new community of people, and of course…a new set of roommates (my parents).
Needless to say, it was a year of adjusting to new circumstances, learning how to live with uncertainty, and trying to feel comfortable with the uncomfortable.
So, this blog post is my way of commemorating a very hard, yet fruitful, year. I hope to look back on this and remember the wisdom and understanding that the Lord revealed to me in the last 365 days.
Alright, without further ado…
Here are 14 nuggets of wisdom that the Lord has revealed to me this year…
1. Don’t base your joy and peace on your present circumstance.
“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”
This quote, said by the late and great missionary, Elisabeth Elliot, was my mantra after moving back to Kansas.
I would repeat it over and over and over again throughout the day. It’s such a good reminder that if Christ is the reason for our joy, then our circumstances can’t take it away.
For an in-depth read on this quote, head to this blog next: The Power of Pursuing Christ, Not Your Next Set of Circumstances
2. The battle has already been won.
Don’t you love when head knowledge finally becomes heart knowledge? Like the thing you’ve been hearing for years finally clicks into place.
This happened to me just last month…
The head knowledge I had about Jesus raising from the dead became heart knowledge that I finally believed in.
My finite human brain had the freeing realization that the battle has already been won—Jesus has ALREADY overcome death!
This isn’t some prophecy that’s going to happen 1,000 years from now.
It has already happened.
Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. 2,000 years ago.
What if we started living our lives as if this were true? What would happen?
Would we be more bold in our faith? Share the gospel more? Sleep more soundly at night?
In my case, I noticed my worldly worries beginning to pale in comparison…
Why should I care what people think of me when the battle has already been won?
Why should I let small things that my husband does get under my skin when the battle has already been won?
Why should I let the devil play mind games with me when the battle has already been won?
Thanks to Jesus’ death on the cross—and his omnipotent resurrection—we can experience true freedom from the things of this world.
3. The world isn’t my forever home.
Listen to these wise words from Jonathan Pokluda, a pastor based in Waco, Texas…
“Happiness is a choice that comes from a deep understanding of: I’m not home.”
He goes on to explain, “The world I live in is broken. There are things here that aren’t as they should be. But I’m headed home, and I’m gonna be in a place where everything is perfect. I believe in a Creator who has my back. He’s good, he loves me, and he controls everything.”
Praise the Lord Almighty that this world isn’t our forever home. God has something so much greater in store for us—with no poverty, death, famine, violence, injustice, natural disasters, or corruptness.
Sister, when the things of this world feel too burdensome to carry, cling to the truth that this world is not your home. It will never satisfy you.
P.S. That quote came from one of my favorite podcasts, Becoming Something. It was Episode 281: Debt, Degrees, & Ditching the Victim Vibe.
4. Recognize the devil and his schemes.
The devil is real. Very real. Know this, remember this, and develop a keen sense of awareness for the lies he feeds you on a daily basis; and then counteract those lies with the Truth of the Bible, the Gospel, and Jesus.
1 Peter 5:8 warns us: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
And John 8:32 shares how God’s Word can safeguard us from the devil’s schemes: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
One of my favorite books that I read in 2024 was Lies Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. This book made me realize just how many lies I’m bombarded with on a daily basis—from “If my circumstances were different, I would be different” to “If I submit to my husband, I’ll be miserable.”
This book flips the script on these lies and equips you with biblically-backed Truth to help you rewrite the narrative that Satan and the world have been telling you for years.
5. Reading the Bible can change your life.
“Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” —Psalm 1:1-3
2024 was the first year in my 27 years of life where I read the Bible almost every day for the entirety of the year, and the byproduct of this was life-changing. As soon as I got into the word daily…
The Holy Spirit started speaking to me through specific verses He would lay on my heart.
I no longer felt the pressure to be someone “special” or “well-known.”
I began to view circumstances with an eternal mindset rather than a worldly one.
The fruit of this spiritual discipline goes on and on and on…all you need to do is open your Bible and start reading.
6. When in doubt, rejoice and give thanks.
Rejoicing and giving thanks are two of the most powerful antidotes for stress, despair, and the worries of this world.
In one of his letters to the people of Thessalonica, Paul reminds them to: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The next time you find yourself grumbling or complaining, think of one very specific thing that you’re thankful for in that moment (it could be the fact that your heart has been beating for you since you were in your mother’s womb; or that you have the world’s cutest dog that makes you smile everyday).
Or try this: when you’re doing a monotonous task like laundry, the dishes, or grocery shopping, rejoice in the fact that you are in the Lord’s presence and that you have the breath and ability to do these things.
7. Embrace the calling you have to your family and your church.
This is perhaps one of the best things I heard in all of 2024…
On a chilly Sunday morning in November, our pastor said these words: “What’s going to change the world is healthy families and healthy churches.”
You see, I’m someone who has always had a strong desire to change the world.
And for whatever reason, I thought the only way to do this was to have over 100K followers on Instagram and do something really cool with my life.
Thankfully, this belief got flipped on it’s head this year.
It’s not your social status or career that’s going to change the world…
It’s healthy families and healthy churches—and the fruitful people that those two things produce.
8. Embrace the awkward.
I’ve always been fearful of sharing my faith, thinking things like: What do I even say? What if I seem too pushy? What if they ask a hard question that I don’t have an answer to?
And to that, I find comfort and encouragement through something that Sadie Robertson said on one of her podcast episodes last year:
“5 seconds of awkward can save you from a lifetime of regret. When you feel like the Spirit compels you to do something, it’s normally outside of your comfort zone, which is why it requires faith."
The truth is, we can’t be following Jesus and not share our faith. If we don’t share the gospel, do we really believe in it?
9. Get rid of your expectations.
Expectations never did anyone any good. That’s why I love the quote by Lao-Tzu: “Act without expectation.”
Jonathan Pokluda, a pastor in Waco, Texas, expands on this idea, saying: “Your greatest disappointments in life come from your expectations, and entitlement is the highest platform from which you will fall.”
He goes on to say: “Grateful people win. Entitled people always lose. Ditch the victim mentality.”
10. Sometimes waiting is the most important “something” you can do.
“We’ve bought into the cultural myth that by waiting, we’re doing nothing. When the reality is that when you’re waiting, you’re not doing nothing. You’re doing the most important “something” there is…You’re allowing your soul to grow up. If you can’t wait, you can’t become what God created you to be.” —Tyler Stanton
Need I say more?
This gold nugget came from John Mark Comer’s podcast. It was the “Solitude (ft. Tyler Staton)” episode.
11. There are still things you can do during your waiting season.
Don’t let your waiting season be fruitless. There is still Kingdom Work you can be doing: meditate on scripture, commit it to memory, give thanks, pray for specific family members and friends, serve others, share the gospel, document the wisdom you’re learning from the Bible and others, practice articulating what you’re learning, write down the specific things God is doing in your life…the list goes on and on and on.
12. Life is worth the living just because He lives.
This comes from the song, “Because He Lives,” which I heard for the first time this year.
When I’m beat down by life, I often question what the point of living is. This song is a sweet reminder that life is worth the living just because He lives.
13. Partner with God on what He thinks of you.
Unfortunately, I care way too much about what other people think of me.
After a rough couple of mental health days back in October, one of the gals in my life group sweetly reminded me to “partner with God on what HE thinks of you.”
In other words, don’t live and die by what your family, friends, spouse, kids, or haters think of you. Live and die based on what the Creator of the universe thinks of you.
God says that you are his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). Do you believe this?
God says that you are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10). Do you believe this?
God says that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). Do you live like you believe this?
14. Obedience is what scares Satan.
Sadie Robertson did a podcast with Bishop W.C. and First Lady Donna Martin last summer, and there was something Donna said that stuck with me the past several months…
I’m paraphrasing, but she explained how Satan doesn’t care if you put on your lipstick and high heels and go to church every Sunday morning—this doesn’t intimidate him or frighten him.
He only starts to worry when you begin putting into practice the things you’re hearing from church and reading in the Word of God.
For most of my life, I fell into the first category of people…
I’d get up on Sunday, put on some makeup and nice clothes, and go worship the Lord and dutifully take notes during the sermon. But I never actually obeyed the Word.
I still cussed, drank too much, listened to questionable music, watched violent and vulgar movies, and fell victim to my depression.
It wasn’t until this year where I felt convicted to start obeying the Word (I have the Holy Spirit to thank for that).
Up until then, it was as if I was a zombie walking through life—half unconscious.
If you find yourself in this same category, start praying for the Holy Spirit to prick your heart; to wake you back up.
And know this: you can’t persuade yourself to be more Christlike. We’re not that powerful.
You need the power of the Holy Spirit for that. And fortunately, Jesus gave us just that: an Advocate who can walk through life with us.
