The Biggest Lesson I Learned in 2024

Now that Christmas has passed and I’ve been slowly packing away decorations and leftover wrapping paper, I can’t help but reflect on the year that is quickly coming to a close. This year has been one where God has patiently stretched me and grown me, teaching me a hard lesson that I needed to grow in conformity to Him and His Word. As I enter 2025, I am resolving to carry this lesson with me and to pursue the truths God has taught me through it.

A flourishing life doesn’t happen on autopilot. 
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About halfway through this past year, I found myself feeling off. I felt a lingering sense of just existing. I was getting my to-dos done. I was being a good wife and mother, at least on paper. I was active in church and ministry. 

​But I felt I was simply surviving each day, only to have to wake up and do it all again the next. ​

I certainly was not thriving. And, if I am being honest, I often felt like a shell of a person. On the outside, everything seemed normal and good. But, I knew something was amiss. In a short time, it didn’t just affect me, but it also touched all of my relationships. 

I was often short with my husband and daughter. My marriage lacked the closeness and connection we once had. I had unrealistic expectations for my daughter. I was easily frustrated by small setbacks and obstacles in my day. I felt dissatisfied but I could not pinpoint why. In short, I was in a funk. 

What I came to realize was that I was living my life on autopilot. I was doing the things that needed to be done, but I was not actively engaged in the process. In practically every aspect of my life (and sadly, especially in my walk with the Lord) I was just getting by and ticking things off day by day. 

As a result, my heart, soul, and mind felt parched. Completing the good, right, and needful things didn’t nourish me. Without nourishment, I could never flourish in the life God has given me. 

Have you ever driven somewhere but been so mentally detached or distracted that upon arriving at your destination you have no memory of how you got there? You were essentially driving on autopilot. We’ve all done this, and unfortunately, we also all tend to act this way in our lives, too. We disengage from the process. We live forgetful of the purposes God has for us. Our priority becomes mindless survival instead of intentional vigilance to grow in grace.

This often happens very subtly and sneakily in our lives. We encounter a stressful or hard season which can lead us to go into survival mode, seeking to make our lives as simple as possible. However, this way of living can easily become our new normal if we are not careful. We can very easily begin to live avoiding anything that requires intentionality or that seems hard. I love how podcaster Brian Hess challenged this when he said, ​

“We have to understand that there are two kinds of hard. There is the hard work of being intentional and responsible. And that’s hard because it requires effort, and it requires that we take time to develop the vision for who we want to be, the type of marriage we want to have, the type of kids we want to raise, etc. On the other hand, there’s the hard work of dealing with what’s created in the absence of intentionality . . . So when we live passively . . . that is initially an easier path because it requires less of us. But in the end, it will be much harder because the absence of those things will create dysfunction and chaos and all kinds of problems . . . The hard work of being intentional [rewards us] with improving our life quality and relationships.” 

The truth is that we were designed to live with purpose and intentionality. 

We can see this principle throughout Scripture:

• “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:7)
• “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12-14)

• “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31)
• “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control.” (1 Corinthians 9: 25-27a)

Living on autopilot or without intentionality will always lead us to a lukewarm existence in our faith and our relationships. We begin to live in our strength, which if we are honest, is very small. We become like the church of Ephesus inRevelation 2:1-7, doing all the right things but having left our first love — having no true zeal, joy, or passion for the life God has called us to. 

This isn’t just a stagnant existence. When we live this way, we aren’t just standing still. To live without intentionally pressing toward God’s purposes and will for us is a regression. It will always lead us to spiritual and relational atrophy. 

As the Holy Spirit challenged me with this lesson, I had to ask myself some hard questions:

• What/who am I looking to daily to give me life/joy?
• Is growing an authentic faith my priority? If not, what is taking its place?
• Do the goals I am pursuing match up with God’s will?

I realized I needed to put first things first. I started to prioritize meaningful time with God in His Word and prayer. I began to change my thinking to one of complete dependence on God — for each moment, each task, each interaction. I quit looking to myself, my goals, and my desires as the standard for a day well done, and started praying that God’s heart and will would be my ultimate desire. I became aware of sin in my life that was preventing growth and hampering my relationship with God and others. I began to see how living on autopilot robbed me of joy. It was amazing to see how quickly these changes changed me! 

Flourishing has nothing to do with our circumstances but everything to do with the Source of Life. Here in Hawaii, we are entering our rainy season. I will often look out my window and see the beautiful flowering trees swaying back and forth in the strong winds and hard rains. While some of the blossoms or leaves may fall in the storm, most hold firm. After the rain has passed, the tree stands tall and continues to bloom. The trees flourish — not because they are independently strong or because of optimal circumstances. No, they thrive because they are rooted in a source of strength and nourishment. As author Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “The secret is Christ is me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” 

My desire for this new year is to continue to flourish in the path God has set me on. Whatever the circumstances around me, He has lovingly designed me to be a testament to His goodness and grace. He made me, not to simply exist, but to thrive for His glory and my good. 

Friend, I hope and pray that you too will seek a life of flourishing in Christ rather than one of simply existing on autopilot. Be encouraged that this is God’s design for you and pursue it! 
Flourishing (Psalm 119)

​What areas of your life are you living on autopilot, and how might intentionally seeking God’s purpose help you move from merely surviving to truly flourishing?