Let’s be honest—it’s been a hard year. 2020 has been full of fear, grief, unknowns, and disappointments. When we don’t take the time to process what we’ve experienced, it sticks around, piles up, and continues to affect us. It becomes like a heavy suitcase that we carry around with us, but it’s bursting at the seams and will inevitably spill its contents in time, impacting our relationships and functioning. As much as we wish that all of the hard of 2020 would disappear when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, many of these difficulties will still be with us in 2021.
As we look forward to both the joy and the challenges of the coming year, doing some intentional processing of 2020 can yield some helpful benefits. Acknowledging the hard things helps us to avoid having to carry it around with us. And once we give voice to what we’ve experienced and what we’re feeling, then we have a chance to learn and grow from it. Processing also helps us gain a clear perspective so that we can walk into the future and deal with whatever it brings in healthy ways. When we’re processing well, every emotion we experience is an invitation and opportunity to draw near to God in relationship and worship.
This PDF resource includes suggested activities and reflection questions. Whether you’re a parent or a minister, these can be helpful tools to use with your girls to guide them in processing their 2020 experiences. The reflection questions can be discussed in a group or one-on-one, or you could give the list of questions to your girls for them to journal through on their own. In whatever way you utilize this resource, I pray it is helpful and fruitful.
Megan Burns is a biblical counselor in Virginia with experience counseling students and parents in the local church. She is married to Brian and enjoys writing about counseling, discipleship and missions on her blog, Remade Whole. Connect with Megan: Blog // Instagram
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