In light of the year coming to an end, I thought I’d make a list (I LOVE LISTS!) of some of the lessons that 2013 has taught me. Some of them are lessons a long time coming. Some of them took hitting me over the head with a book repeatedly throughout the year. Some are just personal lessons that maybe don’t or won’t apply to anyone else. But without further ado…here’s my list.
1. Sometimes the right thing and the hard thing are the same. So I’ve decided to go on an 11 month, 11 country mission trip. Sounds super fun, right? And totally awesome. And like the adventure of a lifetime. And an incredible way to meet tons of new friends who will turn into family sooner than you think. Absolutely! And this is beyond a shadow of a doubt where God has called me. But it’s hard!! Anyone who tells you it’s not is lying. In the words of Kid President, “and I, I took the road less travelled….AND IT HURT, MAN!” (Note: if you don’t know what I’m talking about, go watch this pep talk from Kid President. Fantastic encouragement any day, any time.)
2. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ve seriously said this like a million times, but it still blows me away. God wants me to go on the Race. How do I know? Why I’m so glad you asked! Ever since I started this crazy adventure, I’ve been working towards fundraising $16,285. For a poor college grad like myself, that’s a crap ton of money. The idea of raising that much support was one of the biggest reasons I considered NOT going on The World Race. But God wrapped me up in those gigantic arms of his, gave me an incredibly huge hug (I’M A HUGGER!) and said, “Courtney, you’re going. And I will make it happen.” And He hasn’t failed me yet. There’s a will for me to go. God’s Will. And where there’s a will, there’s a way.
3. I was not created for factory work. This is not to hate on factory workers or anything, but after working at one for two months I can say without a doubt that God did not design me to be able to work in a factory. It’s just not what I’m made for. Major props to those people who do and can!
4. Spiritual warfare ain’t no joke. I’ve always believed in spiritual warfare. But it has never become quite so evident to me as it has this past year. Sometimes there’s just those days/weeks/months that you feel like the devil is throwing everything he’s got at you. Well, duh, BECAUSE HE IS! If you’re following God’s will, Satan is going to try everything he’s got to be able to mess you up, break you down, or divert your path. The best advice I’ve got: step by step, little by little. Take a deep breath. Put one foot in front of the other. Keep doing exactly what God has called you to.
5. God’s protection is incredible. Seriously, wrecking your car puts a lot of things in perspective, particularly when things should have gone much, much, much worse. I should have been hurt. I should have been stuck upside down. I shouldn’t have had phone service. I should have been reallllllly cold. A wreck that bad should have been a whole lot worse. But I was protected through it all. Big thanks to the big guy upstairs!
6. Big kid life is rough. Seriously, growing up is for the weak. I think I’ll just travel the world instead 😉
7. They say home is where the heart is. But if little bits of your heart get left all over the dang country, it results in a whole lot of heartbreak. I can’t tell you the number of days I’ve wished I had lived my life entirely within a 50 mile radius of one location. There is never a moment where I’m not missing somewhere/someone. It can get rough. But I also know I’d never survive that kind of life either. I need wide open spaces, room to make my big mistakes. There’s a quote I heard a long time ago and I’ve clung to it ever since: “I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they could fly all over the world. Then I ask myself the same question.”
8. Fundraising is not about your enjoyment but about you giving others the opportunity to serve. Let’s just get one thing straight: I’m a hardcore introvert. I don’t enjoy talking to people. Well, that’s not true. But me getting up and talking to tons of people about the WR, or calling them up to chat/etc. is just not my thing. Let’s also get one other thing straight: ASKING PEOPLE FOR MONEY IS CRAZY HARD! But here’s the deal, fundraising is not about me staying in my comfort zone. There are a lot of people out there who desperately want to invest/bless/support people like me, but just don’t know how. By asking them to support me, sometimes I’m actually opening a door for people to be obedient to Christ. That’s a little more important than my comfort level, don’t ya think?
9. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. For reals, yo. I get so excited to start the next big adventures (whatever that may mean at different times…summer camp, fall life, WR, etc.) but that means it’s time for another chapter to close.
10.Sometimes it’s okay to let things go for the sake of the whole. Let me give an example. I so desperately wanted to run a half marathon this year. I started getting ready last fall by getting my butt back in shape. Then when the new year hit, I hit the ground running. (lol at that pun and I didn’t even mean to!!) About halfway in, I got this weird sick kinda thing where I felt like dying for an entire weekend and couldn’t do much but watch movies. Okay, cool, NBD, I’ll just take a weekend off. Then I got some weird sinus infection for a little while. Then I got strep. Then I went to Florida. I think you get the picture. It took me a minute, but I soon realized that as much as I wanted to run the half, my body was just not having it. And that’s okay. In life, you gotta choose your battles.
11.If you’re a Browns fan, there’s always next year. To be fair, I’m pretty sure I learn this every year, but…enough said.
12.There are incredible people in this world who so desperately want to support me! From graduating college (yikes!), to working at camp, to prepping for the WR, there has never been a moment where I felt alone. Not a single moment. I have had people every step of the way, cheering me on, pitching in, or just holding my hand and walking through the valleys beside me. I am so blessed.
13.If you don’t record your lessons, they can be easy to forget. I thought writing a blog about what I’ve learned over the year would be easy. I know 2013 has dished out my fair share of lessons and I remember so much of this year in vivid detail. Yet summing it all up is harder than I thought. I’d rather remember these lessons and actually learn from them, rather than forget and have to get taught all over again.
These are just a few things I’ve learned in 2013. Take a moment to reflect on your year. We might share some lessons, but yours might be completely different.
Remember. Reflect. Process. Grow.
