29 Things I Learned by Age 29

“I said, let days speak and many years teach wisdom.” -Job 32:7

Year 29 has been such a beloved teacher to me. This year stretched me in ways I never thought I could be stretched. I’m so grateful for every lesson, every joy, every sorrow, every tear, every laugh, every opportunity, every moment of fear, and every moment to manifest and grow my faith in God. Growth is never easy, but growing in my understanding of God and His love for me is always worth it. This journey as a Christian and as a woman has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Not because it has always been easy. There have been many nights and many seasons filled with sorrow, with anxiety, with fear, with doubt, with frustration, and with confusion. However, there have been many seasons filled with joy, laughter, hope, healing, understanding, renewal, excitement, and peace. I’m so grateful that God has chosen to bless me with this life. But above everything, I’m grateful God has stayed by my side in every season of my life. He has been such a faithful God. Every year I live, I know that so much more deeper.
God is truly faithful.

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1.

In the larger scheme of things, true life is not about making a lot of money, but about spending eternal life with God.

(Luke 12:15)

2.

Godly relationships are never forced, but godly relationships require consistent effort, work, grace, and love to maintain and cultivate. 

(Ephesians 4:2-30)

3.

What I have grown to learn and embrace as a child of God is to give myself space to both laugh and to cry. EVEN, if that laughing and crying happens in the same day. 

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

4.

It is better to obey God than my feelings. Something may “feel right” but still be very wrong. Temporary pleasure is never worth disobeying God and forsaking the will of God. There is no true peace in disobedience.

(1 John 1:6)

5.

Being triggered by my trauma will happen at times. However, when I am triggered, it is a chance for me to yet again surrender the pains of my trauma to Christ Jesus. When I am triggered by people or life circumstances, it is a blessed opportunity for compassion, growth, love, and God’s healing. 

(1 Corinthians 10:13)

6.

God’s plan is always what is best, even when it may not feel like it.

(Psalm 33:11)

7.

My job as a Christian is to point people to the eternal-kingdom reality, not the “American Dream.” 

(2 Corinthians 5:20)

8.

I am not responsible for other people’s healing. I am responsible for being a participant in my own healing journey and I am responsible for how I choose to love others at whatever stage of healing they are. 

(Romans 14:12)

9.

My worth and value comes from the Lord. No one else and nothing else.

(Psalm 139:14)

10.

I must live from the truth of God’s love and respond from the truth of His love and not from my own insecurities or Satan’s deceptions.

(Ephesians 5:2)

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11.

When I see people through compassionate eyes, I am able to see beyond the hurtful word spoken, the disrespectful gesture done, or the harmful insecurity. Compassion allows me to see that we all are broken human beings, in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love. 

(Romans 12:18-21)

12.

My life was not given to me for my own selfish and sinful desires to be carried out, but for God’s divine will to be manifested.

(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

13.

My trauma is not my identity. My identity is in Christ. 

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

14.

Fear leads to the life I don’t want to live. Faith in God leads to the life I was purposed to live. This is why faith in God is essential in EVERY SEASON of life.

(Hebrews 11:6)

15.

Even if I may feel unqualified, I must never doubt the promises of God for my life and His ability to providentially work through my life. He is able. 

  (Romans 8:28)

16.

Christians are not robots. Christians are humans. Christians are image bearers of God…made to feel, made to love, made to truly live and be alive. 

(Gen 1:27)

17.

Insecurity, pain, trauma, & sin that has not properly been dealt with and surrendered to Christ, will sabotage and destroy healthy relationships.

(James 1:15)

18.

The more I grow in understanding and the knowledge of who God is, the more I grow in clarity of who I am, who God has called me to be, and what he has purposed for me to accomplish on this earth. 

(Proverbs 9:10)

19.

Whatever “it” is, when “it” is from God, there will be peace that I won’t have to convince myself of. There will truly be God-breathed peace because His hand will be on “it,” His will, will be it, and His purposes will be worked through “it.”

(1 Corinthians 14:33)

20.

Godly relationships are not dead. Godly marriages are not dead. Godly men are not extinct. There are still men who love tenderly, sacrificially, and unconditionally. There are still men who seek God with their whole heart. There are still men who truly love as Christ has loved his beloved church. 

(Ephesians 5:25)

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21.

Adult friendships require the love of God. Without it, it’s impossible to survive the changing seasons that life and friendship brings. God’s love has to be the glue.

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

22.

Transparency is not an enemy…secrecy and inauthenticity is. God-breathed transparency is the root that fosters and feeds authentic connection. 

(Romans 12:9)

23.

A part of living and truly being alive is learning to embrace the beauty and assurance of God’s love no matter the season. It is God’s love that will truly keep me going. People may leave and life may change, but God’s love will not. His love will forever remain the same. 

(Romans 8:35-39)

24.

There are public pains and there are private pains. We all share them. This is why, I must always be kind, patient, loving, and merciful no matter the soul I encounter.

(Ephesians 4:32)

25.

Loving others is beautifully hard. Without God, I cannot do it. It takes courage to love. To love others is a divine act, that can only be achieved, experienced, and truly lived out by knowing the Author and Being who is the very definition of it…God himself.

(1 John 4:8)

26.

Life is not about idealizing marriage, family, friendship, etc. But it’s about understanding the purpose of it. Deep relationship, community, unity, and intimacy should be the goal. When we relate to one another in a way that reveals the love of God, and the relational nature of God, that is when we truly become alive. 

(John 15:12)

27.

I must see the beauty, blessing, and lesson that every stage and season of life brings. 

(Lamentations 3:22-23)

28.

It is possible to heal after experiencing abuse. It is possible to love again after abuse. IT IS POSSIBLE. God is the one who makes it possible. I am so grateful to have known this truth and to be living this truth. God is faithful. 

(Psalm 34:18)

29.

Self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and spiritual discernment are hidden gems, that once they are discovered and implemented changes life for the better. Not because life won’t get hard sometimes, but because through the knowledge of God and a deeper understanding of who I am and who God wants me to be, I will have the tools to respond out of God’s wisdom and love.

 (Psalm 139:23-24)

With love,

Ashley Moneet

Fearless.Faithful.Following.

Photos taken by: Jlenzphotography.com

I would love to hear from you! Feel free to comment below or message me with what this year taught you or what lessons from this blog resonated with you the most.