This year has been such an interesting one. In so many ways it has looked so different than I expected, and even the things I knew were going to be part of this year have looked different than I anticipated. This year in many ways has been the most settled year in many years - I’ve gone from dating + part time job in 2021 to full time job, engaged and married in 2022 to buying a home and fully settling into marriage in 2023 and then now 2024 we’ve experienced some settledness which has been such a blessing. I was reflecting recently about what I’ve learnt this year and I think because things have been more consistent, it has been harder to pinpoint specific growth areas because there hasn't been big new things. But here are some of the things that I have been working on.
Frustration - this one hasn’t been fun. I have been noticing that I am quicker to get frustrated and I don’t like feeling that way or being short with my husband when he comes home from work when what I actually am frustrated with is a tricky work thing or I am just tired. So I am trying to be really conscious about prioritising God time before I start work for the day and praying little prayers with deep breaths during the day when I’m feeling frustrated. I am also being careful with taking thoughts captive and processing through what I am feeling, why I’m feeling it and what God’s truth is about my situation no matter how big or small.
Surrender - this one has been strong all year running along the same theme as sacrifice. One of the big things I have needed to keep surrendering is the process of becoming accredited foster carers. This is a massive process that we were almost not going to continue, as we were facing quite a bit of spiritual opposition, and we didn’t know whether that was God closing the door or the enemy trying to stop us. We decided to keep going as far as we could and surrender the outcome into His hands. And we had to be okay with the fact that if we went through all that process and we don’t get through, that’s okay because it’s in His hands and He taught us so much through that surrendering process. And then if we do get through, we know it’s for His glory and He has an amazing plan for that. At this stage, we are all on track to complete the accreditation process in February.
Teamwork - It can be so easy to slip into measuring the amount that you contribute to your household. There have been days I’ve felt overwhelmed and frustrated that I’ve done so much cleaning, organising, cooking, dishes, preparing for the next day and worked on top of it all. But when I remember that Jacob and I are a team, which is the mindset I have really been trying to hold onto, then there’s no competition between him versus me of how much we serve. There is just a clean kitchen, full tummies, and a smooth week that we both get to enjoy. So this has been so freeing and helped me find more joy in the mundane as I care and contribute to my home and family.
One of the big joys that I have grown in this year has been being a housewife and homemaker. I love that term “homemaker” - it’s not just cooking, baking, dishes, washing, etc; it’s making the walls and roof we live under a home that’s for Jacob and I (and our cat Pretzel!) So I have loved growing in confidence to try new baking things, learn more about how to feed our bodies more nutritiously and just do little things to make our home ours. When I lived at home, I was not excited about all these things at all, it was just a necessity, but now that I have my own home that I get to make my own (with Jacob too) then things that were chores have started becoming opportunities to grow my skills, feel inspired, and appreciate the results of it all so much. So I hope even this is an encouragement if you are not quite a domestic goddess - just try one new thing at a time like a new recipe or find some cool non-toxic cleaning products! And then who knows, a year from now, you may love homemaking more than you ever thought you would!
This isn’t one of my usual blog posts that has a clear theme/thought, but I pray that this little glimpse into my 2024 is encouraging to you in some way! And one of my 2025 goals is to blog a lot more so keep an eye out for more posts and more little encouragements on my socials too! :D Happy new year everyone!
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