I’m 33! My Jesus year! Can I stop for a moment and ask what does that REALLY mean?! Because for me, it means that I am finally walking in what I believe to be my purpose and calling. That I have the confidence to trust the depths of my faith. This is my year where I lay it all on the line with the expectation of GREATNESS.

To celebrate, I thought I would share a few things I’ve learned in my year of preparation. And trust me when I say it has been a FULL year.

  1. It’s okay to not share something at the outset. Wait a bit and put in the work to lay the foundation. And then you can share…. With your inner circle. Save the finale for the masses.
  2. You can’t save everyone and He didn’t call you to. Stop getting frustrated about people not on your purpose plan. Plant the seed and make room for the one who will water.
  3. Don’t make the mistake of waiting to live for Christ and miss out. Living for Him will be the most fulfilling decision that you will make. It won’t be boring, I can promise you that.
  4. Don’t negotiate with God. He may give you what you WANT, to show you why He was focused on your NEED. The trade-off will not be worth it.
  5. Fail forward. A positive mindset will change your course for the better. So, I encourage you to look for the lesson in everything. Keeping in mind that it’s never worth it to go back to a former mistake and hope for different results.
  6. Failure to do what He has told you to do is disobedience. Plain and simple. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense to you. It matters that He has called you to do it.
  7. The valley typically comes before the mountain. Translation, your dark place will come before your time of work. You have to WANT better, you have to WORK for better and you have to PUSH for better. Once you have climbed you will have the sweet reward of rest.

These seven things are nowhere near close to everything that I learned during year 32 but they are some of the most important. If I had not learned these lessons, then year 33 wouldn’t be special. I decided that this year would be my year of promise. I am expecting great things from God and I am prepared to work for it.

In fact, I have begun to plan things for this year, but I’ve also begun to remove some things from my list. I am committed to only doing the things that I know are within my purpose plan and will bring me joy. I don’t have time to become distracted. This is the year to influence, lead and solidify my position. There is something that is burning within me that I am determined will not be extinguished. I feel more “alive” than I have in a very long time. How about you? What are you looking forward to this year? I’m praying and believing that God is getting ready to release some amazing things in your life. But you must be in position. So, go ahead and get ready, girl!

As for me, I’m pretty excited to be blossoming into Petra.

XO