2013.

2013.

This was a big year. It's come and gone but has left a lot of lessons learned for Matt and me. God stretched us in ways we never thought we would be. But we grew together as a couple and also in our walks with the Lord. I wanted to share some things God taught me and Matt this year. Here's a list of 5 biggies our family learned.

1) Be present, wherever you are in life.

Matt and I went through a lot of transition this year {from school to work & work to school, buying a house, getting a dog}, and it was easy for us to always look forward to the next big event. But we learned that if we are constantly looking forward, we'll never be content in our lives with what God has given us. So be present. Even in the seemingly worst of circumstances. God is there.

2) Live at peace with all, as much as you can.

Matt and I had to learn to be selfless toward one another very quickly in our marriage. But not only with each other, we learned that living a peaceful life with others is such a testimony. If our co-workers and neighbors see our peaceful lives, they'll want to know why it's so different from the chaos of this world.

3) Be thankful.

Each and every day is a gift. Not only that, many things in our lives can be seen as gifts if we change our perspective. People are quick to take many things in this world for granted. A warm cup of coffee. A house to live in. Clean water. But if we start to pause and thank God for these seemingly small gifts, it really changes our perspective and our contentment in this world.

4) Trust the Lord.

We had several big decisions to make this year, and it was easy to trust in our finances or in our circumstances instead of God. But we learned that those things will always fail us. God is the ultimate Provider and Giver. So we need to trust that He knows what He is doing in every season.

5) Laugh a lot.

Life is hard. And it's easy to get caught up in our sorrow and in the disappointments in our lives. But, life itself is a gift. Sometimes when life is at its toughest, we just need to laugh. It too will pass.

Have a wonderful end to your 2013. And Happy New Year! :)