Job 12:12 New International Version (NIV) 12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? I celebrated my birthday a few days ago. I could say that I have a lot of things to thank God for. I have family and friends who celebrated the day with me. They didn’t have to, but they chose to take time from their busy schedules and spend it with me. I thank God for social media. Family and friends who are thousands of miles away were able to greet and make me feel that I’m not forgotten. I appreciated that. I could probably list a whole lot more, but I want to focus on the major lessons I learned this year. God answers prayers. I know this should be pretty clear to me, but for some reason, I needed to be reminded that God answers our prayers. I judged how weak the Israelites were when I read about how they grumbled to Moses about it was better to be a slave than being a wanderer in the desert. But I face new challenges with each new year and I would be like the Israelites. I ask if God would still give me victory. I would doubt, and I would pray for faith. Why couldn’t I look back at what God has done for me? Why should I stress myself with worry? I also learned that God might answer our prayers in an instant, or He could use seasons. He is a God of miracles and the law of sowing and reaping. Sometimes waiting for His promise will require patience. Mental health is important. I read about mental health all the time, and I did my best to empathise with people suffering from it. However, it was tough for me to completely understand what they were going through especially the ones I considered blessed. I’m talking about the rich and famous who took their lives. I couldn’t figure them out. This year, I experienced anxiety attacks. I realised that psychological turmoil could be paralysing. It took all the strength and faith I had to get back on my feet again. The word of God and His love were tools that helped me gain my confidence back. God is Merciful and gracious! I found it hard to find good in myself. Most of the time it’s easier for me to look at my shortcomings. I needed to be reminded that God sees us through Jesus. My faith in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross is enough to cover my all my failures. If we think we need to be perfect to be acceptable to God, then we need to change our mindset. Grace was given as a gift to us, and Jesus paid for it. If we think that there’s still something that we can do to make God love us more then we are mistaken. Jesus did everything. That’s why He deserves all praise. God had taught me a lot this year, but I’ll focus on this three for now. I’m sure every day will be a canvass for new ideas, and I’m excited with what the future holds for me. May God be glorified in my life for all of my days.