Life Lessons

Learning life lessons from the past is not always the easiest thing to do.  Divorce, a death, unhealthy relationships, or a difficult childhood can teach us lessons we really do not want to learn.

Learning to deal with those lessons in a healthy way is essential to healing yourself.  Most people, like me, stuff those painful lessons deep down in their soul.  Until one day, everything that has been stuffed implodes.

We were not intended to carry all of that garbage around.  In order to find inner peace we must address the painful lessons and let our Father in Heaven pour out healing upon us.

I will be addressing how to deal with the painful memories and mistakes of the past in a healthy way in my next post.  It will give you actionable steps to take in order to move on and find healing.

Dear Younger Me

There is a song by MercyME called, “Dear Younger Me” that speaks about life lessons learned.  Here are the lyrics:

Dear younger me
Where do I start
If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far
Then you could be
One step ahead
Of all the painful memories still running thru my head
I wonder how much different things would be
Dear younger me,

Dear younger me

I cannot decide
Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride
Dear younger me, dear younger me

When I think back to the discoveries that I have made along my path to healing, I am reminded how far I have come in this process.  I am so grateful for the healing power of my Father in Heaven.

If I wrote a letter to a younger me about the lessons that I have learned I would I say…

Dear Younger Me, 

There are so many life lessons that I have learned over the years.  I want to share them with you so that you can live life to the fullest… not allowing fear, doubt, and insecurity from keeping you from all you were created to be.

First, and foremost, you are worthy of love.  Just because you may not be receiving it from those who should love you the most does not determine how lovable you are. 

You are loved because your Father in Heaven created you on purpose.. for a purpose.  His love for you is unconditional and extravagant.  There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from His love.

You have the power to control what thoughts stay in your mind.  Just because you hear those negative voices in your mind does not mean that they are speaking truth.  The truth is…

You are beautiful…

You are more than enough…

You are smart…

You are funny..

You are not a mistake…

You are not broken…

You are not a failure…

You are worthy of good things…

Your worth surpasses all earthly things…

You do not need to be perfect in all that you do.  It is OK to make mistakes.  You will never grow and develop if you stay in that place of fearing failure.  How you deal with the failures is more important than failing.

You always have choices.  Even when you procrastinate and do not make a choice… you made a choice.  Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.

Your joy is not determined by your circumstances.  Happiness is an inside job.  No one can make you happy.  Look within yourself, not to others, to find peace and contentment.

Do not compare yourself to others and resist the temptation to judge them.  Each person is on their own journey with different gifts and talents.  Embrace the unique you!

Take care of yourself… mind, body, and soul.  You cannot do your very best when you are running in ten different directions.  Doing more doesn’t make you a better person… it just wears you out.

Do not allow fear, anxiety, and insecurities to dictate your decisions.  The only power these things have over you is the power you give it.  What you focus on expands in your mind.  Focus on what is good.

You are worthy of good things in your life.  Your past does not determine your future.  Just because you made mistakes does not make you a bad person.  Choose not to sabotage the good things in your life.  

Not everyone will like you and that is OK.  That does not change how lovable or likable you are.  Seek the approval of your Father in Heaven rather than from people… He is the only one that really counts.

Disappointments come when you place your expectations on people.  You cannot expect people to act and respond the way you do.  We were all created differently.

You are not a mistake.  The way you look, your personality, and how you think is all of God’s design.  He didn’t make a mistake when He created you.  You were created the way you are on purpose… for a purpose.

You have the power to control your emotions.  They do not have to control you.  No one can make you feel a certain way.  You choose to feel that way.  Choose wisely.

Being successful is more than just an accumulation of money and things.  You can have all the money and things you want in life and truly not be happy.  Success comes when you can find happiness and purpose in your life.   

Your past mistakes cannot separate you from God’s love and acceptance.  There is nothing that can separate you from the love of Jesus Christ.  His love for you is unconditional.  He loves you simply because He created you.

Forgiveness is a very powerful thing.  Not only should you forgive others, but you need forgive yourself.  You do not need need to live in shame and regret.

And last, but not least, Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with you.  He wants you to experience the true peace and love that comes from knowing Him. 

His love for you is deeper than any ocean.  You do not need to strive for it or try to earn it.  You simply have to receive it.  It is yours for the taking.

As you ponder these thoughts know that no matter what you have done past, present, or future God’s plans for you are good.  His promise is that He will work all things for the good. 

So even if you have already made some poor choices in life know that you are never too far from the hand of God.  All you have to do is reach out your hand and He will meet you were your are… because He loves you.

With much love, 

Self

How About You?

Could you relate to the letter to the younger me?  Are there lessons that you need to apply in your own life?  If I can find healing from the painful things I have experienced, then it is possible for you.  You deserve to experience the beauty of life.

It is through my personal relationship with Christ that has given me the strength to find hope and healing from the painful things in my life.  If want to know more about having a personal relationship with Christ visit my Let Faith Arise page.

Question for you

What would you say to a younger you?  What life lessons have you learned?  Leave me a comment.  I would love to hear the wisdom you have discovered on your life lesson journey.

If you found this post helpful please share the love with others.

Gracefully yours,

A book that you may find very helpful in understanding how worthy and precious you truly are is called Captivating.  This is the book that really helped me realize why I made the decisions I did in my past and break free from unhealthy thought patterns.

Because I strongly I believe in this book, I have given hundreds of them away to women who would benefit from it.  Click on the book if you want to preview it or purchase it.

This is an affiliated link.  If you purchase the book, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  This is what helps keep this blog going.  Thanks in advance!