Ancora Imparo

December 31st is typically the day when people reflect on the past year and write out resolutions for the following day until however long they can keep them. Today, I will have a slight variation of this ritual. I want to record not what I will attempt to change about next year, but instead record the lessons that I know will stay with me for a lifetime.

1. It may sound cheesy, but you can't hurry love. When it comes to opposite sex relationships, let God control the timing. Not only is love unrushable, but it is unforceable. If it isn't already there, it isn't a good idea to squeeze it between you and someone else.
2. Not every person who enters your life can star in it. It is your right to decide who can and cannot be a huge part of your life, with godly discernment, of course. Be the leading character in your own life, or someone else will take over.
3.God knows. At those times in your life when you're so blind to what the future may be, and mutter the words "Who knows?", it is unexplainbably reassuring to say, "God does."
4. Open-ended questions are glorious. I'm sorry if you caught me in the middle. I'm still trying to master the art of this.
5. When God reveals something, it's true. Don't question the things God has already made clear. There are uniquenesses that God intended us to have in order to fulfill His plans. After you've figured out what they are, don't mess with them; embrace them. I am simply meant to be an English major. When people ask me why, I don't always have a good answer other than, "God has revealed that to me." I ask myself the same questions that those other people do. God will fill in the blanks whenever He thinks I need them filled.
6. Write this down. It's easy to lose track of miscellaneous items within the cracks and wrinkles of our brains. Writing down the good things God has done for me makes it easier to praise Him when they aren't so obvious. Recording prayers is simply amazing when you look back and see the creative ways your Creator met your needs.
7. Beauty has power. On horrible days, on ecstatic days, on so-so days, everyday beauty simply changes the way you feel. Everyone finds beauty in different things -- nature, music notes, construction, color, ideas -- whatever you find it in, find it often.
8. God is a God of beginnings. New days, new years, new people, new places, new hearts, new lives -- so many new things are refreshers for the mundane. Although you might not be able to go back to the start and do it all again, with each passing second, you can choose to have a fresh start.