Today is my 24th birthday and I thought it would be appropriate to post this. Here are 24 things I’ve learned this last year:
24
God can use even the simplest moments of your life to prepare you for the future, even letting you see a piece of the future in your present. So pay attention.
23
There’s no use wasting your energy trying to be someone else. The best gift you can give the world is to be completely and entirely you
22
When you get older, your hair thins out, making shaving your head quite an interesting experience
21
Your friends are the ones you trust the most, which makes you the easiest target for them to prank
20
Giving up something you love is really hard, especially when that thing gives you energy, warms you up and tastes like the best birthday you’ve ever had all in a cup. Coffee, how I miss you.
19
Canada is massive, diverse, extraordinary and free, making it in my opinion the most beautiful country on earth.
18
Although a green Sebring may be a gramma’s car, it’s good on gas, nice to drive, and definitely grows on you
17
TV, youtube and videogames are an incredible waste of time, but sometimes an incredible waste of time is exactly what you need. Mostly they are just a waste of time, though.
16
Pop, slurpees, lattes, shakes, floats; these all taste wonderful, but water actually does taste quite nice. It refreshes you better than any other drink and it is infinitely healthier for you. Oh, and it’s cheaper. You have every reason to choose water as your drink of preference. Coffee is basically water with awesomeness added, so that is acceptable to me as well.
15
Macbooks are one of the best selling laptops of all time and arguably the most popular computer among college students. The ipad is one of the most compelling pieces of mass produced technology in the new millennium. The iphone makes every other cell phone look like a walkie talkie. Ipod is a household term for a music player; some kids have no idea what an mp3 player is. Businesses love them. Homes can’t get enough of them. Some companies would crash altogether without them. I don’t care what you think, the fact of the matter is apple owns.
14
No matter where you are or who is around you, the new baby in your family is by default the cutest baby in the world.
13
Laughing is extremely good for your health, and among other things, your abs. I am fully convinced you can have a six pack if you laugh enough
12
A number, be that a statistic, money, attendance, phone number, password, or whatever else it may be, means nothing save the human being behind it.
11
Never run after an ideal or dream when the main reason is to benefit yourself. It always ends poorly
10
Confronting people is downright hard. I hate it. It makes people angry. But it is infinitely better to confront people than to let the anger grow into hate in my own heart
9
You are good at what you love in one way or another. And if you spend enough time discovering and nurturing your passions, you will learn to love what you are good at.
8
You will always make time for what you want. “I don’t have time” is just another way of saying “I don’t want to”. As young adults we have the hardest time committing to anything, not because we are the busiest, but because we, more than any other group of people, have next to no idea what we actually want.
7
Youth are awesome. If you love them and have the patience for them, they will blow your expectations out of the water almost every time
6
Complaining about others is very easy and doesn’t solve anything. Interestingly enough, the things that bug me most are usually the things I am most guilty of
5
God’s plan, though it may not turn out the way you wanted or expected, is definitely best
4
Even when there looks like no direction, no possibility, no answer, no point and no hope, God provides. Every. Time.
3
Someone who prays for you, hugs you, stays up at night for you, listens to you, cries with you, laughs with you, compliments you and believes in you definitely, without a doubt, loves you more than you know.
2
The people closest to you are the people you will likely hurt the most. That is why humility and forgiveness are so important
And the number one thing I’ve learned this last year is:
Jesus is alive and compelling by nature. He doesn’t need you to want him, he wants you to discover how very much you need him.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! You have a special place in my heart. My prayer is that these words would serve to encourage you and give you hope.
