24 Lessons from 2024

Photo taken by me — Hongkong Oct 2024

I once heard an old tale about a farmer who experienced a life full of ups and downs.

During his best times, people would comment, “Wow, you seem so blessed,” and during his lowest times, they’d say, “That’s awful and terrible.”

But no matter what the farmer was going through, his response was always, “We’ll see.”

He held the good times with gratitude and grace but not with a tight grip of fear and control.

He held the hard times with sadness and perspective but not with a clenched fist of bitterness and hopelessness.

Saying “we’ll see” doesn’t diminish the bad or the good.

But it does mean we can look at life through the lens of a continuous story rather than isolated instances.

And though we will face unkindness and unfaithfulness in people, hope is not lost because He is consistently kind and good.

In life, there are “banner years…” and then there are silent-surrender years. Some years lift you so high that you can’t believe how nearly all His promises seem to come true.

But there are also years that are made up of silent surrenders and of quiet faithfulness.

And though those aren’t too flashy like the banner ones, they are just as blessed and overflowing with undeserved grace.

In a world where almost everything is turned into a highlight reel, faithfulness can get underrated. But most of our days are really made up of faithfulness — of doing what we are called to do, of doing small things that are actually big.

And so, before I start to shed tears, let me share my yearly tradition — my diamonds in the valley.

24 lessons from 2024:

1. Sometimes we are in the desert, other times we are in the garden. Sometimes we are crying in the valley, other times we are rejoicing on the mountain. Sometimes we are holding ashes, other times we are watching beauty unfold. But in every season, in every situation — God is good.
2. You will never be “too much” for a place God has prepared for you.
3. Wag mo isipin kung ‘madali’, isipin mo kung ‘mahalaga’ :)
4. Forgiveness is hard, but living in bitterness is harder
5. Most times, you are not being ‘tested’ — you are being given an opportunity to practice who you say you really are.
6. Some people say time heals all wounds. I disagree. It’s what we plant in the soil of ‘that time’ that determines what we yield.
7. Sometimes, the greatest act of faith is staying where you are planted :)
8. The road less taken is the road most rewarding
9. My desires do not need to be denied, they only need to be surrendered.
10. Growth pains from good decisions are better than unnecessary pain from bad decisions.
11. Obedience unlocks understanding, not the other way around. You don’t always have to understand to do :)
12. This year, the Lord has transformed my understanding of what it means to be blessed. The term ‘blessed’ shows up 112 times in the New Testament and it is never connected to material wealth or earthly possession. Sometimes the most fulfilling path looks nothing like we imagined. So allow Him to redefine what it means to have a blessed life and bring meaning to your season 🌱
13. Play worship songs from all throughout your walk with God that highlights marking moments with Him. This serves as an important and powerful remembrance.
14. Love is not just a feeling, but an informed and prayed-for decision. I can truly testify that prayer even in the area of our heart is important to Him and He knows our desire better than we know it ourselves.
15. Jesus was gentle and kind, but He also had boundaries — He told Peter when he crossed the line, turned tables and called out hypocrites… lesson here is, clear boundaries are also Christlike.
16. People grow when they are loved well — love without an agenda. Love people without a scorecard.
17. When things are uncertain, all the more that you have to know what matters to you.
18. The higher we go, the humbler we should walk.. Humility always comes before honor.
19. “But there are some things that you cannot be sure of. You must take a chance. If you wait for perfect weather, you will never plant your seeds. If you are afraid that every cloud will bring rain, you will never harvest your crops..you don’t know what God will do, and He makes everything happen.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4–5)
20. You will never be enough for the wrong person, but you will always be more than enough for the right one without even trying 🤍
21. Go deep in relationships. Some of our greatest minutes spent will be loving and investing in someone.
22. Found this on my notes: “Wag na wag mong ipagpapalit ang ‘gusto mo talaga,’ sa gusto mo lang ngayon.” can’t remember the hugot behind it haha
23. From our PMT: “How do you discern between the good and the bad?” — Simple answer: Ang masama, ikakabagsak mo. Ang mabuti, ikakatatag mo.. :)
24. Greatest takeaway from Camp 2024: “Your healing will bless generations.” 😭

I’ve never felt the middle of highs and lows and of change more vividly than I did this year, and though sometimes nostalgia tricks me into thinking the past was more my preference, Jesus has never been more real to me this year.

So thank you, Jesus for being MY greatest reward 🤍

Indeed, a year of open heavens!

“The Lord will open the heavens, his rich storehouse, for you. He will send rain on your land at the right time and bless everything you do. You will be able to make loans to many nations but won’t need to borrow from any.

The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.” — Deut. 28:12–13

You may also read:

23 lessons from 2023 & 2022 hard lessons and silent hopes

Happy New Year!