My 24th birthday is next week, April 7th! I cannot believe this year flew by. Before I celebrate, I wanted to share 7 things I have learned as a 23 year old since there are 7 days until my 24th!
I sound like a grandma, but seriously, I love reflecting and preparing for the next season in life. I guess that is where God has graced me with His wisdom. & no grey hairs! Glory. lol
- Forgive
- Confront fears
- Dream big
- Love past what is visible
- Enjoy the moment
- Appreciate simplicity
- Always remain flexible
FORGIVE
As a new-born believer, I have had many instances where people “offend me” and I have had to deal with it internally and externally. In reality, I take offense against what was spoken (or not spoken!) and let it affect my heart. Drawn out confrontation caused the pain to be deeper than if it was done in a more immediate manner. But even then, I realized that I was focused more on my pain than on the forgiving power of Jesus. I had to eventually repent for holding people in contempt. Jesus tells us that if we “forgive those who sin against [us], [our] heavenly Father will forgive [us] (Matt. 6:14). Because He forgave me, I am empowered to forgive others myself and should every time I take on an offense.
CONFRONT FEARS
The biggest fear I faced this year is probably the most rewarding yet. As I have previously talked about it in my First Quarter post, I decided to attend Victory Bible College 2 weeks before class started. How in the world did I make that decision so late? Let me tell you about my faith walk.
During the summer time, I was in a rough state. God was so kind and good to me though, He allowed me to go to the city of my biggest dreams for the low low. (insert shouting and praising music) I took this time to think through my life, reanalyze my dreams, and the Holy Spirit changed my complacency into courage. I decided in this trip that my deepest desires where not too big for God to fulfill, so I began to be attentive in my quiet time with Jesus for direction. During this time, I was also offered a job position that I had been qualified for way before I graduated college and it SEEMED so good I did not want to pass up the opportunity again. So I thought this season was going to be easy breezy, I was getting more Jesus, and I was going to be getting more money. LOL. Cool, sounds like a piece of cake right? Well…. During a conference, VBC’s school director made an announcement about attending and my spirit was quickened. It was surreal but at the same scary because this was not part of my plans for the fall. Needless to say, I applied, got accepted, and decided to attend. I remember waking up the morning of orientation and telling God how little money I had, expressing all my fears, and releasing my anxious thoughts. But I went. I went in faith, not knowing where the money would come from, not knowing what to expect, not knowing anyone in the program. Guess what though? I am about to finish my first year, have new friends for life, am expecting miracles, and have no debt to the school. Did I mention I have an awesome GPA? Hallelujah!
Whatever God tells you to do, GO FOR IT. He already made a way possible.
DREAM BIG
There are IG posts about it. People’s businesses and organizations encourage it, marketing agencies use it for their strategies —DREAM BIG. If you have ideas, plans, and desires that have not been done yet; go for it! It is powerful when you continue to repeat that dream in your mind because it begins to match what is in your heart. Because of that, you are able to move past excuses, self-limitations, and you begin to make moves.
My professor, Dr. Miranda mentions that when the picture in your heart matches with the picture in Heaven, miracles happen. This is how the Kingdom of God is manifested in our daily lives. So now, I am dreaming, visualizing, and walking by the Spirit in order to see my dreams come alive.
LOVE PAST WHAT IS VISIBLE
We all know people that can be annoying, that irritate our last nerve, and that we just want run from right? We are all different, therefore those differences can ultimately bring us together or draw us apart. Most of the time, we do not know how to treat those different from us, so we immediately want to avoid interaction with them. From coworkers to family, they can strike that one nerve that has the ability to send you to another language. But what I have learned is that love sees past the action and sees the heart. I might not see it physically, but what I do see on the outside reflects things that are going on internally (Luke 6:45).Just because someone does something I don’t agree with should not mean I cannot be the light or show them love like Jesus did. Jesus looked for the lost, not avoid them. Jesus was attentive to what was needed internally, not what was expressed externally.
ENJOY THE MOMENT
Our generation has a tendency to want the next big thing, including myself. The iPhone. The Snapchat update. The new Yeezys. The best filter for your IG post. A better job. But in the midst of this, we can lose the fulfillment of the present moment. This year alone I have avoided social media more than any other years of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media; I oversee my own, my jobs, and my local church’s. But this entertainment can distract us from the NOW moment. 100% devoted attention is so rare these days! Let’s live life to the fullest in the moment.
APPRECIATE SIMPLICITY
A roof, bed, shower, clothes, and food. A car without a note! Education! Going to Walmart without people in your face! Shopping in the mall with your girls without restraints. Reading the Bible without someone holding a gun to your head! Cmon. So many things we have access to are beautiful privileges we should be thankful for daily!
ALWAYS REMAIN FLEXIBLE
I love the example of the rubber band. I have personally seen this myself as God was reminding me to stay flexible. When I braid my hair, I use tiny rubber bands that hold it together. There was one day I picked up a rubber band that was old. I had not used it probably in 2 months, so when i picked it up to use it, I began to stretch it and it immediately broke.
Two things learned from this example: when a rubber band is not used consistently, it loses resistance power. It begins to be stagnant and can no longer be used for its purpose. And once the stagnation begins, it dries quickly to the point of breaking within one attempt of use! In every season, I have learned that we need to remain utilized, stretched, and able to draw back to our original position, spending time with the Lord for refreshing.
This post was longer than I planned, but I love to share what God teaches me with you guys. I cannot wait to show all of you my next fashion post, and of course, my birthday shoot. 😀
Until next time….
#LiveLimitless || Tima G. ❤
