For our winter series, Derek asked all of the leaders to share their testimony with the youth group. He specifically requested that we share the verses that were instrumental in developing our relationship with Christ and try to put it together like a message. Because I work with both Jr and Sr High (along with a couple of other people) I had the unique opportunity to share my testimony with both Jr and Sr High, about a month apart, in two very different ways.
You may be asking "what does that have to do with this blog?" Well, through the process of putting to paper the details of my walk with Christ, I had a bit of time to reflect on the lessons I've learned. I love to make lists and its been awhile since I posted a blog so I thought I'd take the opportunity to share this list with you. In no particular order, I've learned that...
* as the creator of my heart, God is the only one who can truly heal it
* when I focus my life around Christ, everything else falls into place
* transparency in my walk shows other Christians that they aren't the only ones who fail at being perfect
* giving your heart to someone is dangerous
* children often lose their innocence too young because of the carelessness of the adults around them
* being a Christian has nothing to do with how well I hide the not so pretty things in my life
* any sin separates me from Christ, regardless of whether its more socially acceptable than another - there is no grey scale
* dating a Christian doesn't mean you are immune to the temptation to make poor choices
* the old cliche "time is a great healer" is true but scars still hurt from time to time
* love is not an emotion... or shouldn't be anyway. Not totally detached (thanks Pete) but not always tied in with emotion.
* sometimes serving God is easy, sometimes he asks us to "step out of the boat"
* sarcasm hurts people, often unintentionally
* good friends don't tell you how to live your life. they caution you and then let you make the choice. if you fall, they hold you while you cry about it and don't say "I told you so."
* the best relationships take effort
* some people come in to our lives for a season and its not always earth shaking or devastating... just life
* the greatest blessings aren't material or monetary
* sometimes the people we notice last are the ones we later wish we'd noticed first
* no matter how careful one is about maintaining a peaceful home, certain people will always disturb the peace when they enter
* we each grieve in our own way and its wrong to criticize how another person goes about it
* its very easy to prioritize a human relationship above our relationship with Christ but the effects can be devastating
* if you think something good about a person, you should share the compliment with them
* everyone else's family is crazy too
* the less I strive for an elusive goal, the more content I am in where God has placed me
There are many more that aren't immediately coming to mind so I may update this list from time to time but that's what I've got right now. I would love it if anyone reading this would let me know about the lessons they've learned... in life and their relationships with Christ.
