Author: Bre

28.


This past weekend I turned 28 and sat down to write out 27 things I learned *and am still learning* from last year (in no particular order). if one resonates with you lemme know in the comments! 🫶🏼

1. Just because your timeline looks different doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.

don’t compare your life to anyone else’s. God has a specific plan & purpose for you. if you try to imitate what He’s doing in someone else’s life you’ll miss what He has for YOU.

2. You will be misunderstood.

people will disagree and misunderstand you. that’s okay. share what you need to but don’t try to change their mind or heart. only God can do that.

3. You don’t need to give everyone an explanation.

it’s easy to sense the need to defend yourself when you feel attacked, but you don’t need to explain your reasons for everything. a friend shared this with me recently and it was so freeing!

4. Cherish the friendships God has given you.

I think I experienced the gift of friendship more at 27 than any other year of my life. at the beginning of this year many of my friends saw me at my lowest and were there for me. They encouraged me, brought me my favorite coffee (iykyk), FaceTimed me as I cried, traveled to new cities with me, and laughed with me. Godly friendships are truly priceless.

5. god will never leave you.

even when He feels far away, He is closer than you could ever know. it’s a promise! hebrews 13:5 says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

6. Go new places! book the flight! invite a friend!

p.s. you don’t need to get on a plane to go somewhere new! find a restaurant, cafe, park, or local town you’ve never been to! see, taste, and enjoy *new* places!

7. be child-like & enjoy simple things.

growing up you may feel the pressure to act a “certain way” but don’t lose the child-like wonder that comes with savoring the small, simple, everyday things.

8. Don’t settle.

don’t lower your standards because your prayers aren’t being answered when you wanted. God’s timing is perfect and He has good things for you.

9. Celebrate well.

it’s such a joy to be able to celebrate milestones and walk thru exciting seasons of change with your friends! Graduations, engagements, weddings, pregnancies, babies, new houses, new jobs, etc. be there to rejoice with those you love!

10. cherish time with your loved ones.

tomorrow is not promised. don’t take your loved ones for grated <3

11. keep your expectations in check.

learn to recognize unrealistic expectations you may have and give people the space to be human. we will let each other down and disappoint one another (but this is not an excuse for someone to intentionally hurt you repeatedly)

12. Take care of your body & PRIORITIZE REST.

your goal should not be to look a certain way but to prioritize healthy habits and balance! your older self will thank you! hydrate, go outside, soak in the sunshine, go for a walk, eat nourishing foods, go to bed on time, laugh, spend time with those you love, journal, etc.

13. getting over someone will get easier with time.

and then one day you’ll be over them... I hated when people told me this cause in the moment it feels like it will hurt forever. i know. but it does gets easier. it also makes you stronger and will give you greater empathy towards others with similar heartbreak.

14. Don’t stop doing what makes you smile.

live music, road trips, donuts, sunsets, a cup of tea, card games, bonfires, hikes, meals with friends, local markets, your favorite coffee shop… find what makes you smile and make time for those things!! ♡

15. Don’t be afraid of trying something new

some of the things I now love are the very things I used to be scared of (houseplants, and doing things solo like a nice dinner, concerts, and traveling come to mind). you may feel scared at first and make mistakes, but don’t let that stop you! on my list of things to try next: long boarding, pottery, and taking a latte art class!

16. Memories & experiences are more valuable than possessions.

experience > things. every time.

17. give space for the emotions you’re feeling.

as I’ve gotten older the emotions I feel seem to have become more complex & simultaneous… grief, joy, frustration, anticipation, anger. certain emotions aren’t bad and God wants to meet you in each one.

18. listen well & have a teachable spirit.

listening is a skill that needs to be learned & practiced. when others have correction to share with you, listen and be teachable. there’s always room to be a better listener, learner, and communicator.

19. put down your phone & pick up a book.

I need to do that more this year. social media can be inspiring but also very draining without proper boundaries.

20. Go to the concert! (Even if you don’t know all the artist’s songs *or the artist* haha)

I went to 12 concerts in 2022! many of them I had been waiting to see since the shows were rescheduled in 2020 and some of them I barely knew of! so thankful for the memories of singing and dancing alongside friends. I don’t think I’ll ever take live music for granted again.

21. You don’t need to have it all together *or act like you do*

acting is for the movies. not real life.

22. Be honest. It’s okay to say “I’m not okay” & “This is really hard”

it’s easy to automatically say “I’m good!” when someone asks how you are, but be honest with yourself and with those who care about how you’re really doing.

23. sometimes Hope isn’t effortless.

when it’s hard to hope, don’ stop fighting for it. when a circumstance is getting worse while you’ve been praying for it to get better there’s a temptation to give up, but our God is a God of HOPE: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

24. learn to Wait well, while also realizing that you’re not waiting for your life to begin.

your life is a culmination of todays. it’s easy to get caught up waiting for something you desire, but don’t miss out on the opportunities right in front of you!

25. DON’T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHERS WILL THINK.

easy to say, harder to actually do. live to please God and let people think what they will. “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

26. PLANS HAVE THEIR PLACE BUT soak up the spontaneity of life & be care-free when plans go awry! 

planning is helpful, but be flexible: enjoy the process & embrace last-minute opportunities!

and lastly….
27. GETTING OLDER CAN FEEL DAUNTING BUT EMBRACE & enjoy EACH YEAR!

I’m thankful for each of the years I’ve lived: they’ve made me who I am today and I’m forever thankful for the gift of celebrating another year!

So… there they are! 27 things I have learned *and am still learning.* I’m expectant for all this year has in store & for the growth that will come with it <3

o Lord, You know.


It’s been a bit since my last post… I need to get better about that 🙈 but I first wanted to say “thank you“ for being here. thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve written. I pray you feel seen and encouraged in these words. I pray you know that you are not alone and, if you can relate to anything I’ve shared, I am here for you.

This time of year I always start feeling overly sentimental as my birthday and the end of another year approaches…turning a year older and looking back on 365 days always fills me with immense gratitude while also feeling deeply contemplative and somewhat somber (the darkness at 5pm doesn’t help either haha).

I’m grateful for another year: a year filled with new memories, genuine friendships, growth, opportunities, simple moments, and mundane tasks. This year was also full of many contrasts: some of the lowest lows and highest highs.

Throughout the year, this phrase has proven to be true:

the lower the valley,
the higher the mountain.
you cannot experience the mountain top
without first walking thru the valley.

It sounds incredibly cliché, I know, but it felt so true this year. If I had the choice, I would opt out of the valley; only wanting to experience the view at the top of the mountain. But the lowest valleys lead to the highest peaks and you cannot have one without the other. You need the valley to have the mountain top. And, because of the valley, you will have a much deeper appreciation for the mountain peak. Tears have a way of making laughter sweeter… maybe it’s because laughter, contentment, & genuine joy were things you thought you’d never experience again.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” – Luke 6:21b

2022 taught me to hold multiple emotions at once. I think it’s always been that way, but was more extreme this year. Some things I’m learning… that new beginnings bring both sadness and anticipation. When you obey God you will always gain more than you lose. It’s possible to feel unsettled, yet at peace. Hope is worth holding onto, even when letting go seems easier. When you let go of certain dreams, you will also realize new ones. Joy and grief coexist. You can feel frustrated over not being where you want to be, yet grateful that you’re not where you were… Life can feel so complex and so simple at the same time. So much can change, while somehow staying the same.

Recently, as these thoughts have been swirling through my head, I also read Jeremiah chapter 15, and portions from verses 15 thru 16 really stood out me:

“O Lord, You know; remember me & visit me … in Your enduring patience, do not take me away … Your words were found & I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy & rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”

I love reading the raw & honest prayers and expressions of people in the Bible. They are an example to me that it’s necessary and important to bare your heart before God. It’s holy ground.

Jeremiah simply says “O Lord, You know.”
Oh how I relate to those words.
Sometimes that’s all I’ve been able to say.
All I’ve had the energy to say.

Sometimes those are the only words we can utter. When we can’t put words to what we’re feeling or when unpacking it all feels too overwhelming, “O Lord, You know.” We don’t need to explain it all. He knows. He sees. He cares.

Then Jeremiah pleads: “remember me & visit me.” I can only imagine that he’s saying these words from a place of feeling forgotten and alone. Emotions that can feel all too familiar.

Lastly Jeremiah reminds himself of God’s enduring patience. When we are impatient, confused, and frustrated God’s patience is NEVER ENDING. You will never run out of God’s patience and nothing will ever stop Him from pursuing you. His death on the cross is constant confirmation that He gave everything to prove His love for us and His desire to rescue and redeem us.

When we feel overwhelmed (and maybe slightly overdramatic, like I can be) He doesn’t abandon us, instead He shows us unending & enduring patience. He walks with us and cares for us. We are His and we are called by His name.

“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God & into the patience of Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:5

I’m thankful that God has recorded the emotions and honest cries of His people.
It means that He hears our honest, raw, aching, muttered prayers too.

As I soak in the last weeks of 2022 I’m realizing that I’ll probably always feel like I’m failing in certain areas and flourishing in others. Part of life is rejoicing that I’m not who I used to be and I’m also not who I want to be. But day by day, by His grace, God is making us more into His image… He is walking with us through the valleys and the mountain tops, day after day and year after year. He is working thru it all to make us more like Him.

So, here’s to walking thru the valleys and the mountains, holding both the failing and the flourishing, and realizing that He uses both to draw us closer to Him. Through His strength and grace, may we glorify Him as we walk through both.

hopeful or hardened hearts


“Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.”
— Katherine Henson

You wanna know a miracle I’ve overlooked my whole life, until recently? The miracle of keeping a hopeful heart in a hardened world.

Have you ever felt yourself growing cynical or complacent as a response to hurt? Maybe your hopes have been crushed and you don’t want to pick up the shattered pieces… Has it ever felt more painful to hope so you’re tempted to stop all together?

Lately God has placed people in my life who have shared their stories with me and each time I’ve walked away thinking: “if they kept going, so can I.” While hearing their experiences I would think to myself: “After what you walked through I may have quit: on church, on people, on relationships… I would’ve put up walls and hardened my heart.” But, they didn’t, and God is working in their lives in ways they never would’ve seen if they had quit and now their lives are preaching a louder sermon than any pastor could.

I really love how the New Living Translation puts Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart & I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart & give you a tender, responsive heart.” Notice how it’s GOD who gives us a new heart; it’s something we’re incapable of giving ourselves. He must do it. Our hearts are naturally stubborn and hard; He is the One who gives us a soft & responsive heart.

I’ve repeated this prayer a lot lately: “Lord, keep my heart soft. Keep me responsive. Keep me hopeful.”

I love how God often works the opposite of how we may expect… In the world suffering is a reason to give up hope; but Paul tells believers that HOPE is a BYPRODUCT of our suffering in Romans 5:3-4: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Has hope ever felt futile or pointless? Like you don’t even want to share what you’re hoping for because you feel ashamed? The next verse in Romans 5 says “And HOPE DOES NOT PUT US TO SHAME, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Psalm 25:3 reiterates this point that “no one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame…” Although the world may mock or misunderstand, you will never but put to shame as long as your hope is in Jesus.

If you have (or are) struggling to hope don’t forget that hope requires POWER from the Holy Spirit, it’s not something that always comes naturally. In Romans 15:13, Paul says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Everything in this world will make you hopeless & cynical. But IN CHRIST, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have a hope that remains when all else fails. Our hope is in heaven and nothing on this earth will ever satisfy the hope only heaven can fill.

Sometimes hope can feel as natural as breathing,
other times it can feel like a weight you’re forced to carry
that leaves you struggling for air.

Today, whether hope comes easily for you or it feels like it requires all the effort you have, I pray you’re reminded that our hope is not in vain and it is not an empty expectation. Our faith is in the ONE who will forever be faithful, who will fulfill every promise He’s ever made. When you’re tempted to give up and you feel circumstances choking the hope out of your heart, don’t forget that our Hope has a Name. Christians have the hope that one day we will be face-to-face with Jesus, the One our weary hearts are longing for.

“Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.”
– Romans 12:12

“while we wait for the blessed hope—
the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” – Titus 2:13

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything & your heart will be wrung & possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one… Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” – C.S. Lewis

eternal perspective

“God wants what’s best for me” — have you heard that phrase before? For a long time I believed that to be true; but recently I asked myself the question: is this phrase rooted in Biblical truth? The phrase “God wants what’s best for me” can be easily misunderstood to imply that God agrees with our definition of what is best and, when we follow Him, He will cause “what’s best” to always happen for us…

It’s so easy to casually adopt words and phrases that sound nice but, when we fail to measure it against God’s Word, we start believing something that isn’t even true and are left discouraged, disillusioned, and disappointed. God cannot contradict His character: He is loving, kind, patient, true, good, faithful, trustworthy, all-knowing, sovereign…the list goes on. But sometimes things happen that cause us to question God’s intention towards us. Sometimes circumstances can cause us to doubt His character and question: “God, do You really want what is best for me? Cause right now it doesn’t feel like it…”

While God’s plan and purpose may not be what we would’ve chosen or envisioned for ourselves, we can be assured that He wants what is ETERNALLY BEST for us. I think that is the important distinction.

The phrase “God wants what’s best for me” can be misleading and also sound incredibly insensitive when walking through loss, grief, or anything that doesn’t fit into our idea of “good” or “best.”

So…what are examples of God’s best that we find in scripture???

One example that comes to mind is Joseph. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, accused falsely, thrown into prison, left feeling abandoned and forgotten… and in Genesis 50:20 he says “as for you (his brothers), you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…”

Think about that for a minute….

Joseph is able to confidently say: “what you meant for evil, God meant for good.” From the outside looking in we wouldn’t say that Joseph was living his “best life” and his desires and dreams were definitely not coming true…. and yet God was working thru the circumstances to bring about provision and restoration. God was bringing about HIS BEST in Joseph’s life.

The problem we run into is when we start to think that OUR best life is also God’s best for us. Ouch.

God has called us to lay down and lose our lives. As long as we hold onto our own life He will never be able to live HIS LIFE thru us.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
– Matthew 16:25

It is hard to confess that what we thought we wanted and what we thought was best, good, and right is not the same as God’s will. I’ve cried tears over having to let go of my own desires and expectations. It takes humility to let go of what we had planned so we can grasp what God has for us.

But, like Joseph discovered, God’s plan was something greater than anything he could’ve ever planned or imagined on his own. Because Joseph’s plan became whatever God had for him. His hands were open.

If we don’t surrender our plans to God, then we are at risk of thinking that what we desire as “the BEST” is exactly what God wants for us too. God knew exactly what He was doing in and thru Joseph’s life — but I’m sure Joseph had to surrender his expectations of the way he had imagined his life to go.

Let’s look at the Apostle Paul as another example: by our standards his life (which was filled with suffering, beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and ridicule) wouldn’t be our definition of “the best.” BUT in the middle of his suffering Paul RECOGNIZED that it was a part of God’s sovereign will and purpose for his life. Paul was called to the sufferings, and that’s why he was able to say, in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18:

“For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.”

He calls the suffering MOMENTARY & LIGHT!! *woah* Read all the sufferings Paul listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 and tell me if you’d describe them in that way!? I wouldn’t.

Paul realized that what is temporarily painful may also be the same thing that will be eternally beneficial and best for us. We have a tendency to focus on the here & now, but God is outside of time and has a larger perspective than we ever will.

In Philippians 3:12-14 Paul says “…I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me...one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

When we realize that the GOAL and the PRIZE is the upward call of God we realize that anything this world has to offer us pales in comparison with what God has. Too often our GOAL is not Jesus: it’s something or someone else. Too often we hold tightly to other things and we don’t cherish Jesus as our greatest reward and prize. Are we willing to let go of what we are holding onto so tightly, so we can lay hold of what God has for us??

Paul realized what the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:17: “And the world is passing away, along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (ESV)

If all our dreams and desires came to pass exactly as we hoped, we wouldn’t walk thru the refining that only happens in times of testing and trial.

Many know the popular Bible verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” but, when you read the previous verses in Philippians 4:11-12, Paul says “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

Many think that God’s hand is most evident in times of abundance, but God’s hand is just as present in times of suffering and lack. In Christ we can be content in BOTH seasons because HE is our living water and our daily bread (John 7:37-38, John 6:35) our satisfaction and fulfillment comes from HIM. This world and the things in this world will only ever leave us empty, hungry, thirsty, dry, and needy. When we allow God to grow and teach us thru every circumstance we will also be able to walk in contentment because we know He is working. When you’re pursuing Jesus as your GOAL and PRIZE, He will work thru every valley and every mountain to bring you closer to Him and nothing can separate you from Him! We will be able to say, like Joseph and Paul: “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28

One day, in eternity, we’ll be able to look back and see His hand in it all. ♡

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Yet in all these things
we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present
nor things to come,
nor height nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
– Romans 8:35-39



Are you willing to let go of your best in exchange for God’s best??