Daily Lessons

Today I learnt a heck of a lot. I just hope I learn from the mistakes I made and the mistakes I nearly made. Here’s my advice:

• Whatever happens, make an effort at all costs not to slam the door shut onto your own finger.
• When you’re fainting, the best thing to do is elevate your feet. It works!
• It’s ok to cry at the doctor’s and make the old ladies feel sorry so they let you go before them.
• It’s finally ok to stick your rude finger up… if it’s bandaged.
• Sometimes things don’t, can’t or shouldn’t always go as planned.
• Homework can actually be the best thing about your day and make you feel good (afterwards).
• When you get older, your parents leave you to make the tough decisions for yourself.
• It’s culturally impossible for a girl and a guy to be ‘just friends’.
• It takes, and is going to continue to take courage to follow through what’s best in light of the future rather than what feels good now.
• Just because everyone else is doing it (and I mean the whole city)… doesn’t mean you should.
• If a guy has a girlfriend. Run away! (Or so I’m told).
• Coke spiders are amazing.

A Little Experience

They say ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’.

I can’t say I ever understood what that actually meant. Does it mean that they will be a good friend for you, or they are the ones you should invest your time in? I’m supposing the latter.

I was just thinking tonight about how I was able to help someone out. This lady is going through a rough patch with her daughter and I was able to encourage her by sharing a similar experience I had with a friend.

Sometimes when crap happens we don’t really understand why. I believe these are the times when we grow and become a stronger person. Once we’re through, the situations seem so dissolve into blurred memories but I don’t think they should. They can still be of use, even when in the past.

Often times, especially if we are younger, we can feel like our experiences are cheap, shallow and not worth sharing. We can get self-conscious around adults because, really what do we know and what have we experienced that they haven’t? But if we can be confident in our experiences and the lessons God has taught us through them we can exhibit God’s glory to those around us. Even though some people seem to have it all together doesn’t mean they do and getting the courage to go the extra step with them can make all the difference. We shouldn’t be afraid and we should not doubt that God can use us simply because we are young and less wise.

In fact, in these ways, God’s glory can be shown even further, because what we do and what we say couldn’t really be expected, or explained coming from us. It comes through Jesus.

So when the next opportunity comes up, and a friend has a problem. Don’t override an experience of your own because in doing so you might deprive them of the encouragement they need.