Challenge 26 of 30

Day 26 - How you have changed in the last five years

5 years ago I was 16 years old...sheesh. Well, just off of that, I can say that I have matured tremendously over the last five years. I was honestly a stupid little girl until I went to CF!E (now known as In The Gap). While there I was taught how and encouraged to block out the world's noise and really listen for that Still Small Voice every day. While there, the Lord gave me a few really intense life lessons through the mentors who took me in, the friends who accepted me, and the children I met.

I learned who I was. I figured out how to just be me, no matter where I am. We often don't realize how much we pretend to be someone else for the people around us...especially teenagers.

I also learned what I believed while I was there. I learned what was worth fighting for, and what was worth letting go. I also learned how to stand up for what I believe.

I also learned to see into the heart and spirit of others around me: to find who was genuine and who was fake, to see their heart issues. Having this tool has caused me to look more at my own heart and examine the messes in my own life, more than it has caused me to judge others. I firmly believe that people only judge others because they refuse to look at their own issues.

But it didn't stop there. I still continue to grow and mature and learn new things every week of my life, through the Lord's grace.

From the time I was 16, until now; two days away from being 21, I have changed from being a silly, giggly little girl that would literally morph into what other people wanted her to be, into a steadfast woman who knows who she is, what she believes, and what she wants in life. A person whose joyfulness cannot be taken away, who cannot be moved or shaken by the things of the world, and whose sails of adventure are wide open, ready to catch the guiding winds that will take her through storms & calm seas to who-knows-where. I have become the girl that everyone envies. 

Not trying to be vain or brag....just saying facts.

That is how my character and very being has changed over the last five years. It hurt, believe me, but as I look back in awe, I realize that every change was needed and worth it. I am so thankful to the Lord for the changes, and I ask Him to continue to change me into a better person, no matter the pain or loss. It's just growing pains and I must shed off the unneeded things to keep growing....