Now, ten years ago, just what was I doing? Graduating high school and preparing for college. Not knowing what "life" had to offer me, I was only concerned about getting an education with an ending point of capturing a degree to fulfill my goal of a career in news. I honestly thought "life" wouldn't happen. I pushed the thought of sadness and disappointments out of my mind, in hopes of everything to be sunshine and butterflies. One of the reasons behind that was, after my 10th grade year of losing my father, I didn't want sadness to follow me. Instead I wanted to remain strong and make my mother proud of me. Now, looking back there are so many things that if I could have whispered in my ear to do better, I would of. But guess what there was a bigger voice whispering in my ear, after the mistakes and after the tears had been shed. That voice was God Almighty, steering me along the way, telling me to "Be still and know that he is God!" Leaning on to my own understanding can only get you so far as I get closer to 30, I'm very aware of that.
So what would I tell the girl that clung to her journals with bright dreams of the future? First of all, be anxious for nothing. Instead be patient and thankful for the things that at my feet. There were numerous times during my senior year, in which I couldn't wait to get out of my parent's house to experience freedom. I, like most teenagers was anxious to grow up, without realizing the cost along the way. Life was so simple in high school compared to the years of facing the trials of being an adult. We, on the other hand make things so complicated with the idea of wanting to rush everything. Secondly, be slow to speak and quick to listen. Who listens to their parents as teenagers? Not many right and I was one of those that didn't like to listen. Once again at the time I just wanted to lean onto my own understanding. Even the smallest things my parents would say, are beneficial in my life today, and they would definitely been beneficial if I would have had their voice in my head during my freshman year of college. Thankfully now, I can hear my dad saying "Jus keep on livin." Next, I would have definitely in my younger years have kneeled to God more when problems or decisions arose, instead of confiding in others that weren't on the same spiritual path as me. When I was 17, I was into my second year of taking the step into exercising my Christian beliefs. There were things, I still didn't know when I was baptized at 15, but I thank God for guidance along the way. If I had known what I know now, my thoughts would have been left solely at the throne of God and in those that had my best interest at heart, not friends that didn't have a problem with sin or anything else that didn't truly represent God. Those three things may seem small to you, if you're not a believer in Christ or simply because you haven't walked a mile in my shoes. But, they're big to me.
Since the days of being 17, I've learned some valuable things whether school related, work related, friends, and capturing discernment from past situations where my heart was taken advantage of and played over. Remember, when you know better, you do better! If you're a young lady reading this realize, yes you'll encounter problems on the journey of being a Christian but the important thing is, how did you learn from it? How do you react to it? God doesn't want us to walk in confusion, but instead joy! I'm proud of the young woman I've become-a woman of wisdom and filled with drive, living this earthly life with a purpose. That purpose is to serve God wholeheartedly. I know we fall off track. We're human, but I have no desire to purposely live wrong. Again I'm thankful for the lessons that have molded me into pure gold!
"But now O Lord, thou art our Father, we are the clay, and thou our potter, and we are all the work of thy hand."~Isaiah 64:8
0 comments:
Post a Comment