bye bye 2017

1 day left. 1 day!! How has a year just completely flown by??! It is absolutely crazy...just wow. Gone in the blink of an eye..*phew*

And its only going to get faster 

2017 has been absolutely amazing. My mind has been blown with what has happened in my life in only 12 short months. God has truly blessed me this year. blessed. 

Okay, well before I keep rambling..this year I discovered a book of 500 writing prompts!! It is really nice for conversation starters and just thought provoking questions..

The one I opened to last week was: Name 5 things you learned this year. Were they beneficial? 

I learned so many things in 2017 but I will stick to five. And every one of them was beneficial and have changed how I have look at things now :)

1) God's plans are different than yours

wow. okay. this one was a major one for sure. I can almost laugh looking back at where I had planned my life to go at this point last year. I had my heart set to going to school in Tennessee and doing cosmetology at a Christian school...ha! I am going to my local community college (definitely not Christian) and studying to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant. I cried about the change. But now I'm okay with it. Obviously, God knew what I was going to do. Some other plans I had in my head also changed #majorly. Even my accident (I was in a car accident on Nov. 13) shows how God wanted to shape me in a way I hadn't and absolutely would have never wanted. 

2) Submission is a key part of life

I am a free-spirit. And I am stubborn. So in my head it's my way or the highway. Not a good way to live. I am not saying that being a free-spirit or stubborn are bad things just that they can't be the controlling factors in any relationship. Whether it is between me and my Savior or between me and my family and friends, I should not seek to dominate. I need to put my feelings, wants and desires below all theirs. I should be seeking good for them and not just myself. Being selfish never gets you anything. This has never come easily to me but this past year has been one of God knocking me flat until I submit to Him. I am seeing that a deferential and unselfish attitude is especially important in family situations and I have observed it in marriage too. 

3) Prayer is essential for life and relationships

I have actually been praying this year more than I have in past years. *cough cough* this was actually one of my new years resolutions this year!! Even though I can see an improvement in this area I can always work on it. During the middle of school I had a major slump emotionally. Prayer was the only thing that helped me through everyday. God listened to my prayers and He helped me overcome some issues I had going on. Honestly the accident woke me up from my stupidity.

4) Waiting is hard but it is completely worth it

Some things have changed in my personal life this year that while as exciting the possibilities might be have forced me to wait before embarking on this new adventure. I have never been one who loves waiting..if not I hate waiting. I'm the child who would (would) look at Christmas gifts. I have often overreached and it has been something I struggled with. So as you can see this has been a very major thing this year. But I know despite the frustration right now, God is using this time for me to learn things that I can only learn right here, RIGHT NOW. The future doesn't come faster by wishing and pinning away doesn't help you live content in the here-and-now. God will bring it to you when you are ready. And the more you whine, complain and wish the longer it might be ;)

5) It's okay to stand out. Be different. Be fearless. Be you.

So, school has been a whammy. My first day was fun and then things went downhill from there. And I will admit some of it was my attitude but college has not been as good as I had hoped. I have never been one to change myself for others. The pressure I felt at school was a lot stronger than what I could have imagined. To swear, dress immodestly, to fit in... to be part of the secular world...Despite the scars, memories and shame I have from being in dark places I am grateful for those moments in my past because they have shown my future self how empty, shallow, and deprived those who live without Christ are. Actually, I have taken those four little titles as my anthem this year :) 

I had many moments of just pure joy this year and I'm going to share some of them :) So many memories, smiles, and moments of peace in my heart...its been a good year 

• little hands in mine
• hearing the testimony of a saved child of God
• rides to Indiana with mom 
• being alone with my thoughts 
• driving on country roads, windows down
• looking through foggy camera lenses
• dinner dates with dad
• my city skyline
• reminders that the past is over - i'm not where i was
• encouraging blog posts (y'all keep up the good work) 
• passing all my college classes (praise the Lord)
• babies falling asleep on me :)
• turning 19 *cough cough* how am i going to be 20 in march?!
• Uganda ... just Uganda and every single person i met there
• singing without a care in the world
• smiles of a conductor for a song well played 
• waffles drowned in butter and honey

I would definitely recommend keeping a thankfulness/happiness/blessings journal in 2018. I have absolutely enjoyed it. I'm currently at 384 things...I hope to have another 300 or more written down next year. My end goal is over 1,000. Focusing on the positive can really help your attitude. The little things, the big things..find something to be grateful for in every day. 

❤ what are some things you learned this year? What are some things you are grateful for from this past year? do you have any 2018 resolutions?