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Hey, Sister friend! We’re wrapping up 2022…It’s so crazy. I can’t believe it. In fact, this is the last episode for the year on the podcast. So crazy, right? So I thought it would be fun to do a little year in review, and just share openly with you guys about the goals that I personally crushed this year, the ones that I didn’t, what I’ve learned, and where I fell short because as you know, my word for the year 2022 was relatable.
So first things first, I honestly feel like I’ve stored that word in my heart this year and really held true to it. I’ve peeled back the layers like never before. And I’m trying my best to show you and tell you all about the things that have gone on behind the scenes as far as where I’ve struggled, where I’ve succeeded, and how I’ve grown along this journey of life. Because it truly is a journey, a lifelong journey. And it holds both blessings and lessons as we walk through all the different seasons that the Lord has for us.
The Goals & Crushed (and the ones I didn’t)
So in true relatable fashion, let’s talk about my goals from this past year. There were three of them; I typically only set three goals when the new year rolls around, and because of that, I almost, note the emphasis on the word almost, almost always get them all three tackled. This year, I didn’t quite hit the mark on all three, but I’m so dang proud of myself for what I did accomplish. My three goals included helping my husband launch a podcast, creating and launching a biblical life coaching course, and reading through the entire Bible in chronological order.
I did in fact achieve helping my husband launch his very first podcast. As you probably already know, we are absolutely a team as we live out this “Greatest Showmen” style life together. If you’ve seen that movie, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you haven’t seen the movie, well, you definitely should. I feel like I’ve referenced that movie a gazillion times here on the show because seriously, it’s my favorite of all time. So his podcast is called Roof Coating Life and it was created to serve commercial roofers to be more efficient and profitable on the job as they serve their customers. So if your husband’s in the commercial roofing industry, you’ll have to tell him about Chad’s show.
Also, I did create and launch a biblical life coaching course. And I say this with the biggest smile on my face for so many reasons. One is that it was really stinking hard. Like, this was a huge, huge project to undertake. It was actually one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. It was late nights and early mornings and tears and wins and failures and getting back up again and continuing to move forward. But the thing I have to say about this is that the impact that the Faith Fueled Breakthrough course has had for hundreds of women is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. And I continue to receive email after email after email from women who enroll and then faithfully walk through the program and they experience life change, big time life change…healing from their past, clarity about the present, and hope for the future. God had such a hand in creating this course; it’s completely infused with God’s word and the Holy Spirit. And it continues to touch the lives of women every single day. I would honestly say that it’s the single most impactful thing yet that God has walked me through creating, even more impactful than this very podcast. And the reason why is because the course is actionable. You learn things, and then you take action on them, and you implement them and you work through the hard work and the heart work. So if you haven’t checked it out yet, head over to faithfueledbreakthrough.com. It will be worth your time to see if it’s a fit for you and what you need right now.
Finally, that brings us to that last goal that I had, reading through the Bible in chronological order in a year. Truth be told, I debated about whether to even put this episode together, because honestly, I did not want to share with you that I did not complete this goal. However, I think it’s more important than ever to spread truth and honesty in a world where things are often fake, and not what they seem. Today’s world is so dang crazy. So I wanted to come on here and tell you the truth. And here is the truth: I read through half of the Bible. And while I wish I could say that I was able to read it in its entirety in 2022, I’m also tremendously thankful, and I feel really blessed to say that I read half of it. Not a lot of people, dare I say it, not a lot of Christians or people who claim to be Christians, can honestly say that they’ve done that. And I don’t mean that in a prideful way. We all get busy and distracted. And that’s what happened to me a lot of days. We moved into our new house and it just threw my routine off track. And that happens. And it takes a lot of self-discipline and self-control to carve out intentional time to sit down with the Word of God. Here’s the cool thing about this goal that I had…getting through even half of the Bible meant that I tucked half of the Bible into my heart. Did I memorize it all or would I say that I’ve got it all figured out? No. But I tucked half the Bible into my heart. It planted seeds, it drew me closer to the Lord. I gained so much wisdom and understanding and it gave me a biblical perspective for the things that I would then go on to teach my kids about in our homeschool Bible time. It was nothing but good. And the beautiful part is that it’s not the end. Just because it’s the end of the year doesn’t mean that I have to throw in the towel. Quite the opposite actually. I have the opportunity to just keep picking up my Bible and keep on keeping on. I’ll get there. Even if it takes me two full years, who cares? Even if it were to take you two years, or five years to read through the entire Bible, who cares? It would be totally worth it. I really want to speak encouragement into your life on this because time in God’s Word is nothing but good. And the time will pass anyway so you might as well be reading your Bible when and where you can, right? It’s truth, it’s wisdom, and it plants good seeds that will take root and change your life.
What I Learned & Where I fell Short
So that’s the scoop on my 2022 goals. Let’s talk about what I learned and where I fell short this year. One of the biggest things in my life and for my entire family was our daughter’s recovery post-spinal fusion surgery. She had surgery back in October of 2021, and it was such a journey for her and our whole family. If you haven’t already listened through it, I shared all about her journey with scoliosis back in episode #100. It’s well worth a listen because God showed us so many incredible things as He and we walked beside Chloe through all of that. So be sure to go back and take a listen through that. Praise God, she fully recovered and she’s doing amazing today. And God continues to reveal things to me as Chloe grows and matures and walks through all the hard things that teenage girls typically walk through, from friendships to boys to life choices. Being a girl mom is not for the faint of heart. And I seriously don’t know how anyone would do it without leaning hard on the good Lord above.
In the spring, I endured a season of crippling anxiety. I’ve struggled with this from time to time over the years and I found myself reaching out for help, mentally and emotionally. There was a lot on our plate in that timeframe…We were finishing up our house build and getting ready to move and there were a lot of things going on in my head and my heart. I ended up creating a podcast episode, episode #123, where I shared about my anxiety and I talked about the three things that I was doing to overcome the anxiety and to take back my mind. That episode quickly became one of the most downloaded episodes of all time here on the podcast. And I quickly figured out that anxiety is one of the #1 things that many of you struggle with as well. So be sure to go back and listen to that episode, I think you’ll find it really helpful.
We moved into our new house which was both a lot and a giant relief all at the same time. After living with my mom for two and a half years, we were so dang grateful to finally be back in our own space. Although life back at my childhood home brought about a lot of wonderful moments, some sweet, some teachable, some just downright hilarious, some frustrating, all of them were very memorable. And so we pretty much spent the entire summer unpacking and finishing up our house build. We actually still have a few things that we’re working on but man, it feels so good to be moved into our new house. An interesting thing is that we had built this kind of bonus room upstairs that we really didn’t know exactly what we were going to use it for, and wouldn’t you know that the Lord had gone before us and He knew exactly what that room was to be used for. Because spoiler alert, when the fall rolled around, it became very clear that God had called our family to step into homeschool. And what an awesome up and down adventure that has been. Way more ups than downs but wow, it has been an incredible journey. Admittedly, I had so many things I was worried about as I felt God tugging at my heart to consider homeschool. For one, I had total impostor syndrome. I really thought that I just simply could not homeschool my kids. Like, I wasn’t qualified and I had no clue what I was doing. And then perfectionism and procrastination both kicked in, and I didn’t commit to fully trusting the Lord and stepping into homeschool until mid to late summer, not long before school would actually start. There is so much that I could say about what God has taught me in this new season, but it would take this entire episode. So I’m actually going to share all about our homeschool journey in an upcoming episode that will be out here in the next few weeks. Be sure to tune in if you want to hear all about it.
When I reflect back on the entire year of 2022, I feel like where I fell short was that I really battled a lot of mom guilt with all the things that were going on. I spent a large part of the year feeling like a dog in the deep end of a pool, just paddling and paddling and battling to keep my head above the water. I often felt like I couldn’t get ahead and like my to-do list kept getting way longer rather than shorter, which is really wild, because I actually teach strategies on how to not let this happen. But like Peter in the midst of the storm on the sea, when he took his eyes off of Jesus and he began to sink into the water, I had a lot of moments where I put my eyes on what was swirling all around me, what needed to be done now, where I was dropping the ball, and it was really only in the moments where I took a deep breath and refixed my eyes on the Lord and opened His word that I began to feel peace and calm again.
Dare I say it, especially with all the blessings this past year, I also struggled with some discontentment. It breaks my heart to even say that, but it’s true. However, not long ago, I found myself driving in my car totally alone late one evening and I was wrestling with the discontentment in my heart. And some things came on the Christian radio station that just spoke to my heart and made me feel totally drenched in God’s great love. And that satisfied me in a way that nothing and no one else can. The radio host was sharing scripture from the book of Malikai where God says, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” And I was reminded that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and always. And I realized that I hadn’t been in the Word as intentionally lately and that when I’m in the Word, that’s when I feel completely surrounded by God’s love. And then the song, “Perfectly Loved” by Rachel Lampa came on and I just took a deep breath. And I gave myself permission to rest in God’s peace and love and to trust that I am walking out the purpose and calling that He’s placed on my life. And I just rested in the realization that I’m so deeply loved by Him. I hope that speaks to your heart like how it spoke to mine.
However 2022 went for you and no matter whether you’re feeling overwhelmed right now or stressed out and anxious or you’re battling mom guilt, or you just feel like things are swirling all around you with busyness and heaviness and expectations…Remember that you’re allowed to take a deep breath and just sit down, and to lean into God and rest in Him. Whether it’s prayer or opening up your Bible or just sitting and closing your eyes and thinking about the Lord and about what you know He says to be true, here’s your permission to hit pause and to start over again. And remember Sis, you don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward. You just need to take that one next step, however small it may be. The small steps, they add up to a giant forward movement in your life towards who you’re called to be, and how God calls you to live.
Let me leave you with this. We all fall short of the glory of God, but He made a way and He provides, Jehovah Jireh. He provides and He protects, and He leads. He continues to make a way and guess what? The Bible says that in our weakness, in our imperfections, Christ is made strong. He is made known and He is glorified. Amen? Amen!
As we head into a new year, I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect back on the past year and to take a few more minutes to look forward to your future with great anticipation. Because sweet friend, the best is truly yet to come. There will be hills and valleys. There will be trials and triumphs, but God will be beside you each step of the way. And He will be glorified through your story. Your story for His glory. And as believers, we can continue to move forward with expectant hope, deep faith, and great joy in the Lord.
I look forward to continuing to serve you and adding value to your life in the New Year friend. I’ll see you in 2023.
