Looking Back pt. 2

Ok so maybe I do look the same....

Continuing on in my look back at High School years, here's a few things that I've learned over the ten years I've been out. Things I wish I knew then!

1. It's not all about him. Guys, that is. I really should have gone to an all girls school. Let's just say I was boy crazy. As I know every high school girl can be. As a jr/sr I would wonder who I would marry? Would I get married? What if I never get married? And the saddest part is I thought I knew who I was going to marry! And no, it was not Chris. Looking back at my high school journal it was all about boys, ok so really just one or two in particular. Oh how I wish I would've spent my time differently. I was not in a place to get married, neither were the boys. High school girls out there, invest in your girl friends & your parents! You'll be thankful you did!

2. Applied myself more academically. There was one subject I always got A's in. Extra curricular activity. I was vice president of my class, sang in the choir, played fast pitched softball competitively, swam for awhile and attended each and every youth event offered by my church. Not much time left for academics eh? Now I survived, and always did well with my grades but I'm not sure I learned much of anything. It wasn't until I moved to Maryland did I realize how little I knew about American History! I know it's never to late. I'm enjoying books on politics, biography's, education etc in my later years. Looking back I really do believe that I was not the type of learner, still am not, that was served by sitting at a desk all day doing workbooks.

3. Spent more time learning how to cook, sew, manage a home. Those things weren't exactly "popular" in high school and maybe that's why I never learned some of the needed skills for marriage. Of course will all of the above listed activities and trying to maintain a 3.5 gpa, how could I have had time?! It wasn't until I got married and began having children did I realize I had a lot left to learn. High School, nor college, prepared me for "real life".

4. Spent more time with my family. I love my family and thankfully always have. My Mom and I's relationship had it's rocky moments like any typical teenage/parent relationship but at the end of the day I knew they loved me and were always for my good. The youth group I attended didn't do a great job building me into my parents. Quite the opposite I would say. Now not to give off the impression that I'im not thankful for my youth group. I have a lot of great memories and I'm not sure I would've made it through high school without the strong friendships and teaching from church. But how I LOVE the way Sovereign Grace runs their youth group. I remember coming home from attending the Kauflin's youth care group in Maryland. It was during the time Chris was attending Pastor's College. I was so moved seeing all the father's with their sons and all the mother's with their daughters to be taught together. I came home and cried. I called my mom and apologized for all the many ways I pushed her away during my high school years. So all that to say I wish I would've not only spent more time with my family but also look to my Dad and Mom, so much more than I did, for advice and guidance.

5. Evangelize boldly. I did not become reformed until after high school. Believing and growing in this doctrine has given me so much more boldness when it comes to evangelism. Why? Well because it's all about God and who he chooses to save. It's not about how I present it, how perfectly I live out the Gospel or coming up with a slick and clever way to get someone to church. I often lived with the underlying fear when talking to people in high school that I was going to mess things up. Because ultimately it was up to their choosing whether they would get saved or not. But no, It's God's church and His people he is about saving. Now I can freely share the gospel and trust God with the results!

So thankfully God has been at work in my life since high school. If he wasn't I would have nothing to look back on. I also am aware of God's sovereignty in my high school years. Even though yes, I would indeed do things differently today, He still took every aspect of my life and worked it together for my good! Good that I am so undeserving of. I learned so much through broken relationships, extra curricular activities, even how I was "schooled" is making me take a hard look at how I want my children to be taught! The Lord is so faithful!