what i’ve learned in 2025 so far…

It is somehow, beyond my comprehension of time and all its mechanisms, the middle of June. We are halfway through the year. New York City has swung back and forth between heavy rain and hot sweaty days. I’ve been concoting iced teas to stay cool. A favorite of mine is iced chocolate chai!

If you know me, you know that I never met a good reflection on life that I didn’t like! So I’m sharing with you all the little life lessons from 2025 so far.

Every decision is risky but take action

I am often someone who tries to think their way through everything. My schedule, my friendships, my relationship with God, any problem ever. However, you can’t think your way out of bad things happening to you. Which makes decisionmaking stress-inducing for me. Decisions are risky because they’re important and they can change the trajectory of our lives, but it’s better for me to make a choice than wallow in confusion and fear.

“I’m growing up now and I can’t spare myself the heartbreak”

I’ve spent a decent amount of time listening to Liv Douglas. Her poignant music is such a balm to the soul. The song Memory reminds me of how much change occurs, how the mundane days of the past are often the days I miss most. Growing up means grief. It means letting go and loosening your grip on the things you’d thought you’d hold on to forever.

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Jeopardy has taught me that even in reading fiction, the facts stay with you

This year I’ve become an avid Jeopardy fan. It’s now a set aside 30 minutes for my parents and I to enjoy each other’s company and figure out our gaps in knowledge. Though I’ve struggled with nonfiction, even my fiction has helped me get many a Jeopardy clue right–and it’s such a satisfying feeling!

Walking with God is strange there’s so much I’ll never understand

My walk with God has shifted over the years. I used to be much more focused on absorbing scripture (and I still am—treking through the Bible in a year. Not for the faint of heart!). Now I’ve leaned on incorporating silence and upping my time in focused prayer. Some days it feels like God and I are on the same page. Other days I’m confused and hoping He’ll give me some clarity. There are sweet and special moments, and there are hard ones where I don’t understand and trusting is so very hard. 

In some ways, I feel like a baby Christian, learning to abide and actually obeying the words I’ve read on the pages for years. I’m not in a season of deep pruning nor am I in a season of pure abundance and dwelling in God’s gifts. It’s a strange middle ground to be in.

What do God’s nos make possible?

This year I started my part-time corporate gig, and while I was disappointed that it wasn’t full-time, it taught me to ask the question above. Hopefully, this summer, I will get back in the driver’s seat and really get my license. If you’re struggling with a no from God, this is a solid question to ask and journal with.

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I actively have to put effort into prayer to get a result. I can’t be passive.

A few years ago, I started writing prayer prompts for each month of the year. It’s supposed to help me meditate and pray on a specific thing each month, but I still would find myself forgetting my prompts. Lately, I’ve done a challenge where I’ll pray for several things for just 10 days. (I was inspired by the 40 day prayer challenge, but 10 days feels more managable for me.) I realize that no matter how badly I want what I’m in prayer for, I have to put effort into it. I can’t just blink and hope my prayer is answered.

Repentance is key in a life with God. 

Repentance can be a scary word. I think people often associate it with condemnation, but having been schooled in the John Mark Comer school of theology know it to mean to change your mind. And the truth is we change our minds all the time. True repentance means changing what you think about God to the truth of who he is. This doesn’t happen at just a moment when you become a believer, but it’s a lifelong process of turning away from the falsehoods we believe and breaking up the foundation of beliefs the world tries to tell us to live by. It’s not something you do once, but again and again and again.

Every time I read scripture, I am confronted with my frailty and my inability to get it right and I need to repent. I need to repent when I think I’ve gotten it right, and it’s just my pride in the way. I can’t get past repenting in a life with God. It’s actually how we grow with him.

Related Post: lent, seasons, and risk

Follow your passion is the worst career advice.

It’s less about following your passion and more about your lifestyle – how do you want to live and make choices that get you closer. You can make lots of money and hate your lifestyle. You can follow your passion and hate your lifestyle. Think about the life you want and what you want to prioritize and choose your career based on that. Passion comes when you’re enjoying your life.

Pay attention.

Funny thing. I had a dream and this is exactly the phrase in my mind the moment I woke up: PAY ATTENTION. To that sinking feeling, to the delight, to what anchors you, to what surprises you. Just pay attention.

Whatever this is doesn’t get easier (as you get older)

This lyric is from (un)lost by The Maine, and the older I get, the truer it feels. It’s crazy. When we’re younger, we think that if we could just get through this, everything will be okay. But life hands you a million of those moments again and again, and you realize what a gift those old problems were. For some, this might be pessimistic, but I think it’s true. Each age offers its own battles and wounds and there are grievances that we carry with us. All we really can do is enjoy the season God has us in with its fruit, bitter or sweet.

Signing off,

Gigi