20 Things I Learned in 2020

2020 was a big year for everyone. It was a huge year for me personally. What with living through a global pandemic, getting pregnant, buying a house, and giving birth to twin boys, it was THE biggest year of my life thus far. Because it is such an all important year in the history of the world as well as my personal history, I took a moment to reflect and see what I learned from the crazy 12 months of 2020.

1 // God Hears Our Prayers

God answered every single one of my prayers in 2020, to the T. He hears us. He may not answer immediately every year. He may not always give us the answer we think we want, but He hears us. Always.

2 // Everything can change in a moment.

It took 3 minutes for my life to change forever, as that second line slowly crept up on a pregnancy test. One moment I was not a mother, the next moment I was.

3 // Dreams come true.

This goes hand in hand with God answering prayers. Because he hears our prayers, we can dream big, and He will hear us. We just need to have faith in Him.

4 // Life gets hard and the only place I can put my trust is the Lord.

2020 was such a hard year for all. It was scary, full of uncertainties and loss. I learned the only stable place I can put my trust is in the Lord. He is unwavering.

5 // It is important to have hobbies.

You know, just in case the world shuts down and you are stuck at home with nothing to do for months. Cultivate some hobbies. Save yourself in the next pandemic (hopefully we don’t have another one in our lifetime but ya never know).

6 // Life is rarely what you expect it to be.

Did any of us expect 2020 to be what it was? Nah, we all expected 2-3 weeks of being shut down and then it turned into an entire year. I expected to have one baby, and I ended up having twins. Enjoy the ride and all the surprises this life has.

7 // There are some weird people in the world that own tigers.

I forgot that Tiger King kind of took over the beginning of the pandemic. I learned there is a lot of wild things happening in the world. A lot of wild people. And some of them own tigers.

8 // I can do really hard things, and you can too.

In 2020 I did the hardest things I’d ever done (become a mom) and I learned that the Lord gives me strength that is miraculous and unexpected. I did the hardest things ever (pregnancy, deliver twins, have a baby in the NICU, take care of those twins). You can do hard things too.

9 // Being outside is important.

In a time when literally every form of entertainment besides television was closed, I learned that being outside is really healing. Bad day? Go outside. Feeling sick? Go for a walk. Feeling joyful? Go outside. Fresh air is wonderful. Nature is fantastic. I already knew this, but 2020 reinforced it for me.

10 // You can’t watch The Office too many times.

With the devastating news that on January 1, 2021,The Office” would be leaving netflix, my husband and I took on the challenge to watch it as many times as possible in 2020. You can’t watch too much of it. It’s just impossible.

11 // Life happens in phases/seasons.

Whatever hard thing you are going through will only last a little while. Then life will shift into a new phase like the moon. Hang on.

12 // When something is important you, other people’s opinions don’t matter.

Being a mom, my kids are the most important thing in my life. They were when they were in my belly and they are now. I truly stopped caring what anyone thought.

13 // God. Always. Provides.

2020 was a year of provision. In times when I was worried, God gave me every thing I needed. He always provides.

14 // My husband is without a doubt my best friend.

People celebrated surviving being locked in their house with their spouse in 2020. I can honestly say that it was never a challenge being at home 24/7 with my husband, but the best thing that ever happened. He is my best friend and I would be stuck home with him forever and be happy as a lark.

15 // Seasons of rest are needed.

Society currently celebrates “the grind” and “the hustle”. But REST and taking it easy is so important and needed. We need to celebrate rest too. We need to celebrate people NOT having a side hustle because they value rest and time with people they love.

16 // Watching TV can be a hobby and that’s okay!

We watched so. much. TV. In 2020. And I loved every second of it. Truly. I used to feel guilty and lazy because I LOVE watching TV. But I realized it’s a hobby like anything else. And I’m not lazy just because I enjoy television. You sit and read books as a hobby, you can sit and watch TV as a hobby!

17 // Racism is alive and well.

It is not abolished. I reflected and realized I had my own biases and prejudices in 2020. That was hard. But needed.

18 // We cannot control anything.

If I learned anything this year, I learned that control is a false idea. The most I can control is how clean my house is. That’s about it.

19 // Being a mom is my dream come true.

I love every exhausting second of it. Its my dream come true and I’m so thankful I have my babies. Don’t tell my husband, but we’re going to have like 3 more.

20 // It will all be okay.

The craziness of this year felt overwhelming and scary. Being pregnant was scary. Having kids is scary. But the Lord holds us in His hands and He IS in control. When we trust in him, walk With Him, and seek him, it will all be okay.

Bonus Lesson: bare skin feels goooood.

In 2020 I worse less makeup than I have since I started wearing makeup at 13. I hardly went anywhere and when I did I worse a face mask so there was no point in wearing makeup. I can say I 100% confident in my skin (withOUT a mask) thanks to 2020. I still like to wear makeup of course, but 9/10 times I go barefaced.

I love reflecting on the past year. What did you learn in 2020? Share with me below!!