Life Lessons.

Here are a few of the lessons I have learned in 18 short years of life... you may find they are lessons most grown ups haven't even figured out for themselves but I didn't get to have the life of most teenagers. Instead of being bitter about this life God gave me I choose to thank Him.. because without this life.. who knows where I'd be or if I'd ever learn these valuable things at all...?



Forgiveness is a must:
Throughout our lifetime we will be hurt by many people. Some things people do won't affect us as much as others. No matter how great the pain is we have suffered from the person who hurt us.. we have to forgive. I know it is hard. I have been hurt by the people closest to me in life but I have let go. Not forgiving someone causes anger, anamosity, and sadness in OUR lives... not theirs. Holding a grudge doesn't hurt them it hurts us. So forgive.. let go.. and let God! "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." -Matthew 18:21-22


You can not straddle the fence:
Either you are for God or you are for the world. You can't be both. If you try to be for God but live as the world lives you will be unhappy and it will never work. You will find that your relationship with God starts slipping through the cracks. Make a decision.. but make sure it's one you won't regret. "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."-Titus 2:12

People will walk in out of your life but God never will:
Everyday we see people come in and out of our lives. Some of them we will remember.. either for the bad memories or the good. Some of them we simply won't remember at all. Let me just tell you one person we let in our lives will be here FOREVER. Rather we try to avoid Him or not; He is here to stay. That is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."-Deuteronomy 31:6


The past is the past and does not define us:
People like to bring up our past and throw it in our faces. As if we don't know ourselves what mistakes we have made. There is absolutely nothing we can do to change yesterday or even five minutes ago. It is gone. There is no time machine to take us back and let us undo the things we regret. We just have to accept it and move on. Learn from our mistakes and be better people. If God can let go our past and not even remember it.. then why can't we? "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."-Isaiah 43:25


My life doesn't actually belong to me:
I may think that my life is mine to live, but friends, I am wrong. My parents may think my life belongs to them until I turn eighteen, but friends, they are wrong. My teachers may think my life belongs to them the few hours I am at school, but friends, again; they are wrong. I didn't create myself, my parents concieved me not created me, and my teachers teach me. My life belongs to the creator of the Heaven and the Earth, the creator of Adam and Eve, and all the is good in the world. My life belongs to God. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."-Genesis 1:27


Dream as big as the sky because anything is possible:
All the time we hear people tell us, "You can't do that" or "You can never become that." Let me ask you, do they have a crystal ball or the Book of Life at home? We don't know what our future holds anymore then the next person. God is the only person who has our whole lives planned out for us. We can dream to be the next president, noble peace prize winner, or next man on the moon. It may never happen but if you don't have dreams and you listen to someone say you can't do it or you won't do it... it will never happen. And just remember, "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."-Matthew 19:26


Of course, I have learned so many more life lessons then just listed here. But to me, these are the most valuable. These are the ones people struggle with everyday. I have learned I am a strong, smart, independent, capable, loving, caring, God-fearing young woman. I can achieve anything I set my mind to and I think that's just what I'll do.