24 things I learned in 2024.
I started my year with a word: celebrate. I thought, “Oh this will be easy! I love to celebrate. Thanks, God, for putting that on my heart. I will gladly accept that as my word of the year!” Cue the confetti and balloons and cake. Yes, there were plenty of beautiful moments worth celebrating. But more than anything else I learned this year, I got a small glimpse of what it looks like to celebrate when you don’t feel like it.
Disappointment doesn’t mix well with celebration. It’s hard to stuff down the sadness and put on a smile when you’re expected to party. And I guess that’s probably why God challenged me with that this year. I didn’t understand that the God of peace wanted to carry my heavy burdens in those raw, tender moments. I didn’t fully realize that God isn’t just interested in me spending eternity with him someday, he’s interested in spending every single moment with me right now. Even the bad ones.
I started out the year absolutely sure (and absolutely wrong) that ‘celebrate’ would look like a bunch of happy moments and probably no pain. And I know how silly that sounds but reflecting on where my heart was at back then, I naively believed that to be true. But our God is kind and undeservingly gracious to us, and he disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12:6). Very quickly on in the year, I saw that my hurting heart was prone to bitterness. Bitter towards those that got answered ‘yes’ to the things I was currently praying for, and bitter towards God for not answering mine the same way. To be truly honest, this was the first time in my life I’d felt this way towards God. I didn’t know how to approach Him anymore.
There were times where showing up for others' celebrations felt tremendously heavy, and I left feeling sooo guilty. I’d ask God, “I don’t understand why this is so hard for me, I love to celebrate my people. Why can’t a past version of Hannah, the happier and more joyful version, be the one to show up for them?” I felt tempted to shrink away in my pain when I knew that my God had called me to be courageous and brave.
Faster than I thought possible, 2025 is here. So here’s 24 things I learned this year that I’m grateful God had the patience to teach me.
Community isn’t just a ‘maybe’, it’s an absolute necessity. God didn’t just give you family and friends for fun, it’s with intentional purpose. They are a built-in shoulder to cry on! Use them!
Your people are more eager to help carry your hurts than you realize. You are not a burden. When you allow them to carry you, I promise you’ll actually feel lighter.
You may not like the season you’re in. That’s okay, you’re not supposed to like every single one. But even when it hurts, don’t stop looking for the small ways God is showing up for you. Have you asked Him for what you want? Do you trust Him to give you what you need, even here?
Never underestimate the power of a pint of ice cream and a good cry.
When you’re in a season of blehhh, spice it up a bit. Stop listening to the same playlist on repeat that’s making you sad, ask your friends to send you new songs. Music really affects the way we process life. Go turn on some Shania Twain or something.
Find something you love to do and DO IT. If that’s coloring with markers with the kids you babysit or making coffee on a Sunday morning at church, make time for it. God delights in your joy and He wants to meet you there, no matter how small it is.
Don’t be afraid to say how you actually feel. Not the watered down version that sounds pretty, but the thing that you don’t want to say about how you feel. Say it. There’s so much more power in confession than we realize.
Go outside. Your computer is tired of looking at your face, too.
When your heart feels heavy, tell God. He loves to hear you talk to him. But don’t share so much that you forget to pause and hear what He wants to say back to you. He is tender in heart. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Tell Him how you feel, and then take a big breath while you lay down your fears and pick up peace.
Breakups suck, probably because God never designed it to be that way. Mourn what’s gone, but rejoice that His best truly is SO so much better than whatever you’re walking away from. We walk by faith (believing in who God is and what He can do), not by sight (the temporary things we see that we think will last).
What Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, He means!!
You will never regret moving your body. If that’s a five minute walk around the neighborhood or a 5k with friends, just !! do !! it !!
You’re not weird for wanting to hang out with your parents on a Friday night. Sincerely, someone who hangs out with her parents on Friday nights.
Forgiveness is less about the person you need to forgive, and WAY more about your own heart posture. Read that again.
Meditating on Romans 8 is healing.
Hug your people & tell them you love them often! Like every day! Multiple times a day! Be annoying about it!
If you’re trying to be healthier, start small. Habit stack. Drink more water. Sleep, for goodness sake. The 1am bedtimes have got to go. But also, eat the dang ice cream.
If you’re having a hard time celebrating, be the one to help plan the celebration. Nothing will flip your attitude around faster than serving and contributing!! If you can be helpful, offer your hands with willingness! I promise that 100% of the time, you will find yourself enjoying the celebration and grateful that you went.
Challenge yourself to laugh every day, especially if you’re in a slump! If you haven’t laughed yet, go do something silly and make yourself!
You are not as alone as you tell yourself you are.
Stop doing self checkout at the grocery store when there are real people one lane over that you could spend time talking to while they check your groceries. I pinky promise you’ll make their day!
If you have a “friend crush” on someone (aka someone you admire from afar and secretly want to be friends with) and are dying to be friends with them, tell them!! You might meet some of your favorite people if you do!
Fear is not your portion. 2 Timothy 1:7!! Hebrews 11:6!!
You can confidently step into the next season because you have evidence of God’s faithfulness in the past. Write down a list of the ways he’s shown up for you, and let that fuel you to believe for MORE!
Lots of learning!! Lots of growing!! Lots of tears!! But a lotttt more joy!! Cheers to another year of walking with Jesus into whatever He’s got. I’m confident that it’s beyond good, it’s his BEST!!
xoxo,
Han