4 Personal Life Lessons In Recent Months

The pandemic has changed most of our lives and routine, right? I mean, whoever thought 16 months ago that wearing a mask would become a fashion statement and that a vaccine would split opinions.

For many, the past 15 months have literally been life changing, both on a macro and micro level. Loss of loved ones, furlough, loss of income, change in family routines, and the emotional stress that came with multiple lockdowns, to mention a few.

As I reflect on what God has been teaching me in the last few months, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. There have been significant opportunities for growth, personal assessment and spiritual awakening.

In this post, I want to re-echo 4 life lessons (there are many more) that God has taught me recently. If you’re a regular on my blog, this might feel like a recap for you.

1. God is sovereign over my joy and pain

In a previous post, I made the point that God is determined to showcase the beauty of His power and providence in us through every situation we encounter, including our suffering.

Learning in very practical ways that God is sovereign over my joy and pain has been a tough lesson.

As a family, we have repeatedly taken burdens to the Lord in prayer, for which the answers remain pending but the need is ever-present. But we continue to trust Him.

It's easy to preach "It is well" to others until you are boxed into a corner and have reason to wholly depend on God. In such seasons, God is testing you. Don't give up // 4 Personal Life Lessons In Recent Months Click To Tweet

As a finite man, I’m learning to trust His infinite wisdom, strength and eternal purposes in all my experiences.

2. People will fail you — get over it, forgive and move on

God recently reminded me that while He loves me dearly, I’m not as ‘important‘ as I might think. Ouch! That was humbling. But I understood the message.

When you’ve had your trust broken, significantly misrepresented, your character maligned and integrity questioned, you naturally would want to respond.

I remember a conversation with a peer mentor that challenged me with the question… “They did that to you? So what? Focus on what God is teaching you through the experience.”

When you choose the path of purpose and intentionality, oppositions are normal. People will doubt you. If they don’t, you’re probably on the path to ‘normal’.

This is key for me. Get over the offences, forgive and move on. Otherwise, you’ll cage your progress and fail the divine assignment.

3. Build in silence

Not everything God calls us to do needs to be shared with the world every time. God often does His deepest work in us in the closet, away from the eyes of men. And we must learn the power of building in silence.

That’s why I recently wrote the post “Why You Must Stop Seeking Validation“; to remind us that we often build deeper and richer legacies when no one is looking or applauding.

During this season, I’ve had the opportunity to grow spiritually, develop greater self-awareness, grow deeper family bonds, strengthen the hands of other builders and inspire many more to live the God-intended life — all in the background.

Life is not a competition. Encourage those who are building purposefully, however they choose to build. But never forget that your race is different to theirs. Run your own race // 4 Personal Life Lessons In Recent Months Click To Tweet

Focus on what God has called you to do but also understand how He wants you to respond in every season you’re in.

4. Do life in community

In my cell group discourse this week, we reiterated the value of doing life with other believers as a means of grace designed to encourage one another in times of distraction, disappointment and despair.

On this blog, I’ve written a lot about the power of community — the right community. This is important because I’ve seen how toxicity can destroy morale, vision and purpose.

Toxic people will destroy your joy. They add no spiritual or material value to your life, yet they have a lot to say about you. Flee from them // 4 Personal Life Lessons In Recent Months Click To Tweet

Don’t allow offences cause you to ‘down tools’ or make you abandon your purpose. At the end, you’re living for God, not man.

So don’t do life alone. Rather prayerfully seek out a community that encourages and inspires you to be intentional, vision-minded, true to the truth, bold about personal integrity and open about your own vulnerabilities.

When you surround yourself with such people, you will not derail from the God-intended life.

If you missed any of my recent podcast episodes, check out EP30: No Ifs, No Buts… Make Your Life Count and EP29: In The End, Nothing Else Matters

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash.