I was blessed to spend my 23rd birthday doing manual labor on a farm in the middle of nowhere Costa Rica this year. While that might sound surprising to most who know me, yes I did get attacked by bugs, I sweat my heart out in the intense humidity, and I got burnt in the scorching sun, BUT I was surrounded by my insanely amazing team!! Most of these people have really only known me for a few weeks now but they are so great at loving me well. My day was filled with so much JOY & LOVE and it wouldn’t have been the same on any beautiful Costa Rican beach or rainforest jungle, so thanks Mac-n-Cheesus, I love you all!
While I was at the farm, I had a bit of time to reflect on this past year and all the Lord has brought me through. He has taught me so incredibly much but I’ve narrowed it down to 23 things I’ve learned in my 23 years so far.
- I am unconditionally loved by the maker of Heaven. Even when I mess up or fall short or disappoint, His love abounds.
- I don’t need a well-paying career or certain social status to define my success.
- God created diversity and wants us to embrace our differences! Every person on earth was gifted with special talents hand-selected by God. While He made my teammate Jake to be a great, charismatic public speaker, that’s not my natural gifting, but He gave me other attributes and giftings to use to glorify His Kingdom. Together we make the body of Christ because we are different parts—not because we are all the same!
- Having a strong work ethic is invaluable. A dedicated perseverance and the choice to fight every single day can get you through anything.
- God does His best work in us when we need Him the most.
- Singleness is a gift. This year, God has created a space where I can further develop my relationship with Him before I am ready to pursue a relationship with anyone else. I now have complete freedom to pursue the Lord with my full attention and it’s a season I will cherish forever.
- Most problems in life begin with a lack of love. When you have love, you can better understand. And who doesn’t love love?
- Society likes to put us into boxes that define us, but God seeks to move our hearts and change our minds.
- Not every Christian is meant to be a missionary.
- God has gifted me with a generational point of view and family is something I highly value, both now and for my future.
- No one is exempt from mental illness. ‘Depressed’ is a word I used to be too ashamed to classify myself as due to fear and my pride. But it’s true, during college I walked through a season of depression. And understanding that we are not alone in our darkness is the first step to recovery.
- If God calls you to something, He WILL provide (in abundance)!!
- Community is invaluable. God gifted us friends to help us evaluate life, realize what is important, learn to love others well, know how to communicate effectively, and so many other things!! People are gifts.
- I am a proud American.
- If God loves creation enough to provide absolutely everything for it, how much MORE does He love us?!
- God cares more about our presence than our performance. The bible tells us that if we have FAITH that Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, then we have salvation. This means that no amount of good works will ever amount to us earning salvation. Salvation is a FREE gift, given through faith.
- Comparison is the thief of joy.
- Jesus loves us and pursues us every single day! Whether or not you choose to acknowledge Him is up to you.
- Cover everything in your life in prayer. Your family, your friends, your house, your car, your new tapestry, your pet goldfish… you can never be too covered in prayer.
- The Holy Spirit LIVES inside of you, discerning your heart’s desires and directing your steps. So trust Him.
- Trials build endurance, endurance increases character, and character strengthens our confident hope in Jesus Christ.
- God never inflicts our past on us and He doesn’t use our future selves on our present us. His love is present and is always right where we are.
- Most things of this life are uncertain—I don’t know who I will marry or if I will marry, my future job or where I will live—but I do know that I will spend the rest of my days in complete devotion to the Lord. The point of my life is to point to His.
I am so insanely grateful for all that God has taught me this year. It was around this same time last year that I decided I would dedicate 2017 to the Lord and venture on the World Race and I am so glad I took that leap of faith. Prior to this year, I was really good at living life in my own strength. I didn’t rely on the Lord to provide but rather took everything upon my own shoulders. But through God’s patience and His pursuit of my heart this year, He has stretched me far outside my comfort zone, brought me some lifetime friendships, grown my spiritual gifts, and lit an eternal fire for Him that I will carry with me for the rest of my days on this earth. I can’t wait to see where He takes me during year 24.
mucho amor,
Britt
