Rae-Beth McGee-Buda: Wrapping Up 2015: What I Learned During the Year

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Wrapping Up 2015: What I Learned During the Year

As another year closes out, I feel it's important for me to reflect back on the past year to acknowledge everything the Lord has done for me. Under normal circumstances, I'd push for the New Year ball to drop and not look back. However, I have so much to be grateful for and I can't allow myself to let this pass without taking a moment to reflect. I believe that by doing this, I am shedding the negative, not quite pretty stuff, which can hold me back from the blessings in store for me within the upcoming year.

I'm opening the comments up to you to share what you have learned during the year too.

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I have gained some new insight, gained new knowledge, expanded my faith, reexamined my life, and got rid of the things/people that didn't help me in my walk with Christ. I know there's so much more within life which I need to learn, however, I'm grateful for the journey the Lord has led me during 2015.

This had been the first year that I truly dived into studying the Bible and keeping up with my daily devotions/studies. I had the privilege to see and witness God work in many lives and perform several miracles. I have learned that the Bible isn't only a set guideline for our lives but a WAY of life. On the days where I didn't make time to read His Word, my day felt off and it just wasn't right. I have learned that through the Bible, many people through time have faced difficulty on every level and the Lord was right there with them.

In order for my days to start and end well I included Jesus. A morning without Jesus and coffee... boy.. it was rough. I NEED the two for my day to tick by with grace, love, and joy.

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Now for the smaller blessings/lessons I have came across during the past year.

1. Prayer Wall

By starting my prayer wall, I've been able to keep track of all the prayer requests I have received and easily go through each one.

2. Weekly Bible Verse/Prayers

By doing this, I have opened up my heart to more and to others. I've noticed that when I started the weekly Bible verse on my blog, I was able to explore different verses in the Bible and learn the Word of God easier since I used the week to learn a verse.

3. Laughter (and lots of it)

They say that laughing is good for the soul. I must say that I agree. When I laugh, it makes the environment around me free and more relaxed. This made it easier to enjoy the time with my kids and husband when we were carefree and focused on that moment.

4. When life is falling apart, God's plan is falling into place...

During the year, my family and I hit some hard times, which caused us to give up our home and move in with family. It's been within the past few months that I have learned so much about WHY this has happened. I have learned that it it's not about WHAT you have in your life, but WHO you have. Within the time, I have seen my children form a bond with my parents like no other. I love the crazy times full of laughter AND the hard times mixed in with pain. Each moment has taught me a lesson in life that I believe God needed me to learn.

5. Instagram really isn't that boring....

Like so many others I know, Instagram is one social media platform that I'm part of. At first I wasn't so sure about it until I started to meet some amazing people and form awesome relationships. Here are my most popular posts from 2015 on Instagram.