Growth

Understanding comes when we begin to see God's hand in our life. It's only when we stop focusing on ourselves and turn our attention to Christ that we are able to see growth from a time of suffering. Thankfully, this summer has been an opportunity for me to stop being so self-absorbed and to step back to see the bigger picture. The past year has been a necessary period of growth for me and I am thankful for it. While sitting with a friend in Manhattan one night, we were discussing my journey. That's when this list started. Over the past week, I just started writing things down. Overall, it's hard to summarize just how much God has taught me this year, but here are a few of the key points.

Life lessons I’ve learned in the past year:

1. Self-pity is self-destructive.
2. No matter how much you love someone, you can’t make them love you back. You can’t be angry at them for that. Love them anyway.
3. There’s good in everyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone is good for you.
4. Life goes on. The pain might feel like it’s going to kill you, but it’s not. The scars it leaves behind will just give you character.
5. Children are the most innocent healing power in the world.
6. A friendship that ends was never a friendship to begin with.
7. God gives you multiple chances to do that right thing. If you don’t do it, God will. And it’s probably going to hurt a lot more than if you had just done it in the first place.
8. Share your experiences. Other people might be struggling with the same thing.
9. As much as you want them to, some people just don't belong in your life.
10. There's a difference between suffering and misery.
11. The opposite of love is lust.  
12. I am incredibly blessed.
13. Sometimes the things that feel the most right are the most wrong.
14. Suffering is a necessary part of life.
15. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends things. They will respect you for being honest with them.
16. Rush hour traffic is a blessing. It gives me an hour a day to concentrate on practicing virtue.
17. Surround yourself with people that pray for you.
18. You’ll never fall too far to be loved.
19. Even with the pain and heartache, it's still a beautiful world.
20. I’ve got a lot to learn.


Blessed be the name of the Lord.