Sometimes I get down on myself for not having gone as far in my education as I “should have.” Yes, there’s still time, and yes, I likely will go back to school at some point in the future. But when I turned 35 last year, I got to thinking about all the hard lessons I had learned during my lifetime thus far – none of which I ever could have learned in a classroom or lecture hall.
Truly, the most important things I’ve learned have come from humbling mistakes, poor decisions, and by being “broken on the wheels of living” — and rebuilt, one lesson at a time. Line upon line, precept upon precept. I am far from graduation, but I am a lifelong-learner – and here is a sampling of the wisdom that has come so hard to me.
Top Ten Life Lessons I Learned by Age 35:
10) People who say they don’t care what people think about them are usually saying that because they are desperate for people to think that they don’t care what people think about them.
9) If you are worried about what others are thinking of you, you can relax–because they are probably too self-absorbed to be thinking about you anyway.
8) Everyone you meet and everyone you know is going through something. So don’t be a jerk.
7) There is no such thing as the perfect church, so stop looking. And if you do find the perfect church, don’t become a member or you’ll mess it up. God can work with imperfection; in fact, we give Him no other choice.
6) When it comes right down to it, relationships–with others, with God, with ourselves–are all that matter in this life. Everything else is just details.
5) Never take life too seriously. No one gets out alive, anyway. Besides, if you are a Christ-follower, your life isn’t even about you. It’s about Him.
4) Never take yourself too seriously. Laughter can be lifesaving.
3) Smile at people. It shocks the heck outta most of ’em.
2) Take inventory of your blessings frequently. Anything and everything good that you have, embody, or experience came to you through God’s hand. What if you woke up tomorrow with only those things that you thanked Him for today?
1) Prayer is the most powerful resource we have–and yet we usually resort to it last. That’s kinda dumb.
(This post originally appeared as a note on Jena’s Facebook Page, and we liked it so much we asked her if we could repost it here. We’re glad she said yes, aren’t you? – Fb Team)
RE: 10) People who say they don’t care what people think about them are usually saying that because they are desperate for people to think that they don’t care what people think about them.
I found that people who say they don’t care do so because they have had to bear alot of responsibility in life or have been caring for others for so long (usually beginning at a young age) that they are more used to giving than receiving. Or they act like they don’t care as a defense because people have let them down so much in life.
People who say they don’t care DO CARE and just have trouble expressing it… or don’t feel safe sharing their feelings. Give them time and they will open up. Don’t push or put your expectations on them. They will show you their scars before they show you their heart.
WOW !! WELL SAID in a short space… As GOD has told us in HIS WORD…
“WISDOM is the PRINCIPAL THING”…..GOD also has said “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”…. now the real tough one is this….
WISDOM is GODS LAWS APPLIED…..but with the daily help we can access thru the HOLY SPIRIT….. as we cannot do it as easily as the HOLY SPIRIT can. One great truth I learned is this….. I KNOW that there are several areas that I am weak in…..I find that makes me faster than most folks.
THANK YOU ! rick mech, never losing my holy curiosity.
Ha! I got to the last one and thought, “This should be number one”, but then saw it was! Oh wise Jena, thank you for reminding me of some great truths.
Amen!!