My best life lessons weren’t learned in Kindergarten, they were learned in Sunday School: Jesus Loves the Little Children, Amazing Grace, Just as I Am, Trust and Obey, Sweet Hour of Prayer, and I Surrender All. Here’s a few more:
• I am not a theologian, nor do I pretend to understand the mysteries of God, but from personal experience I know that God is a God of beginning again, loving me when I couldn’t love myself.
• Not a day goes by that I don’t regret past decisions, but today I no longer carry the burden of guilt and shame from those decisions.
• In Malachi 3:10, Scripture says “Test me in this.” Cary and I decided to test the Lord in our giving, just as it is written, and by golly, we haven’t been able to outgive God yet.
• Today I am grateful for each and every trial I’ve experienced. I haven’t always said that (many times I was mad at my life circumstances.) But they have made me who I am and given me a testimony I can share with others about Jesus. I have nothing to fear in sharing my testimony … people can refuse to believe Jesus is the Son of God, but they can’t refute the fact that Jesus changed my life.
• Now that I’ve made peace with my past (from The First Mile), I can move on to the present and future (The Second Mile).
• Isolation and secrecy are killers that can stunt your spiritual, emotional and mental well-being. Honesty and transparency can push you to be of service to others, thereby taking the focus off of you (which is a good thing).
• The words we speak can either tear down or build up another person … choose to encourage others!
• It’s never too late to stop and hear the stillness of God, step out in faith, and start on a new path.
• It’s OK to say “NO” and set your boundaries. Use the theory of HALT, taking care of Hunger, Anger, Loneliness, Tired. (By the way, this goes for kids, too, so they can learn healthy boundaries).
• What’s next? I don’t know, but I know I’m not scared of tomorrow and what God has in store for me (this blog, book, a movie??).
