22 Thing's I've Learned by 22

Let the celebrations begin, it is officially my Taylor Swift year. Happy Birthday to me, but that's not what this post is about. I've learned a lot of things in my 22 rotations around the sun and I want to share some of those with you. There's so much more I have to learn, but there is also so much that I've been taught.

Each of these have a purpose of being shared. They're things I have learned throughout all of the seasons of my life. Yes, there is plenty more I could share with you, but these are the most important.

1 Truthfulness Is A Fruit of the Spirit, Bluntness Is Not

I have a habit of speaking without thinking, but this is not God-glorifying. Speaking the truth in love is, my blunt words are not.

2 It's Okay To Say No

I have a habit of committing to a lot of things, but I've learned that it's okay to say no to an opportunity. There is a time to work, and a time to rest, and rest is very important to me.

3 Let Yourself Be Led Sometimes

I was born with a desire to be in charge. I'm a perfectionist and I love to fully invest myself in projects. But it's a really cool adventure when I accept that someone is smarter than me and to let myself learn from them.

4 Rest is Essential

Sleep is important, but sleep isn't always rest. My soul needs rest, my mind needs rest, and my body needs rest. Prioritizing rest from my head to my toes is a must.

5 I'm Not a Workaholic, I'm Passionate

I love to fully invest myself into my work, and I love to get work done quickly and well. But my drive doesn't mean I'm overdoing it, it means I'm passionate.

6 Food Should Not Be Feared

The purpose of food is to fuel me, not the other way around. I should be eating to live, not living to eat, and I should be taking care of my body. When a food hurts me, I will not fall back into my fearful mindset, I will simply choose an alternative. (This is a big one for me, I struggled with this for around 2 years due to digestive issues.)

7 People Come and Go

People are not forever. Whether it's death or a burned bridge, people don't always stick around, but God has a purpose for the time that was spent together. Cherish those in your life now and seek what the Lord was/is teaching from past/lost relationships.

8 Pursue Passion Instead of Trying To Prove Yourself

As someone wanting to go into ministry one day, I thought I needed to ace a certain degree, I was wrong. God has given me special gifts and talents to be used for His glory. My passions are not a mistake, they are ordained by the Creator God. Pursing the passions He gave me is worshiping Him.

9 Treasure The Hand-Me-Downs

I have a necklace and ring of my Gaga's. She is such an example of grace and kindness and wearing them are a constant reminder to model my character after hers. There is no finer southern belle than Marolyn Blanton, and I'd love to be thought of the same one day.

I have many pairs of earrings that were my Nana's. A honest woman who loves others with every bit of her heart. I desire to love people like my Nana does. Wearing them is a reminder to love people well.

I have an old denim jacket that was my Papaw's, and stained glass pieces that he made me. He's passed now, but I treasure these things because they were his, and I thank God for him and the patriarch of faith he was for my family.

10 Listen to Your Parents

I spent the majority of high school thinking my parents didn't know what they were talking about. News check--they did. The wisdom of a father is fool-proof, and the discernment of a mother is otherworldly. Listen to your parents, they know what they're doing.

11 Change is Good

I used to hate change. Now I crave it. With each new door that opens, is an opportunity for growth. I want to grow, so I embrace the watering and pruning of change.

12 God Never Wastes an Experience

One of my dad's slogans. No experience, good or bad, has come and gone without teaching me something--and it always draws me a little closer to the Lord each time.

13 Kindness extends farther than achievements

My achievements only get me so far, kindness takes me the rest of the way. No achievement can measure up to the act of loving others.

14 My Comfort Zone Is Not My Safe Place

I was not created to sit in my comfort zone. I was not created to live comfortably. I was not created to live life slow. I am called to step out of my comfort zone, into my mission field, live with a sense of urgency, and pursue others for the sake of the Gospel.

15 No Matter How Much Other's Say It Does, My Past Does Not Define Me

I. Am. Redeemed.

16 Don't Date Boys - Date Men

Credit to my dad again. Don't date the one's who haven't grown up yet. Do date the ones who have their priorities straight, have goals and ambitions, and who desire to glorify the Lord first.

17 My Age Does Not Define Me

My age does not weaken me, it strengthens me. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

18 Life Is Short - Buy The Shoes

This only applies for shoes under $75, unless of course we have different budgets - in that case buy whatever shoes you want.

19 Do Not Filter Your Worship

It does not matter where I am, it does not matter who's watching.

20 I Should've Cherished Free Textbooks

This goes out to my people who haven't gotten to college yet. Please cherish those torn up textbooks that have your older sibling's friend's names written in the front of them. One day you're going to spend $300 on books that you barely use.

21 There Is Most Definitely a Light At The End Of The Tunnel

No matter how dark, how deep, how lost you may be, the grace of God extends as far as the east is from the west. You are never too far, you are never too deep, you are never too lost.

22 I Have A Lot Of Questions About Me

I am adopted. I am 22. There's still so much I don't know about me. I don't need a fact sheet, family history, an ancestory.com test--I need Jesus. He knows how many hairs there are on my head, and that's something my birth parents don't even know. I am a daughter of the King of Kings first and foremost, and a Rust second - and that's all I need.