3 Things I Know for Sure (That You Should Too!)

For the Savage Girl the past few days have been in rewind. I have been doing a little reflecting over the past four years since my anniversary being a FCS County Extension Agent is today. I would not be where I am today without a little heartache, the exhilarating experiences, the tough moments, and the daily grind. What keeps playing in my mind is that the past is to make you better not bitter!

One of my goals this past year has been to be positive since I am so richly blessed! I am so thankful for the intervention of the man upstairs in my life and the challenges He has tested me with when things were tough and hard to bare at the moment. I would not be where I am today if not for Him! I would not have gotten to meet such great new people that have made an impact in my life and have helped me grown into the young woman I am today! I do not know what the future holds, but as I hit play on my life again I am going to try to remember the following things since these are three things that I know for sure and I think you should know them too!

1. Our goal should be eternal happiness. Yes, worldly happiness and physical happiness are awesome and great but sometimes we can be too caught up in the moment that we forget what our real prize in life should be. We should keep our eye on the prize <<<getting to heaven one day>>>! If we have God on our side then everything else will fall into place. We will make it to heaven one day if we follow His will and direction for us. If we choose man’s will and the temptation of the world then we might fall short of our goal and true success in life.
2. We all need encouragement, pats on the back, and genuine appreciation from others. As a Christian, young professional, daughter, and sister sometimes I still need advice, help, teaching, corrective criticism, and positive reinforcement! In addition, I am sure you do too! If we are honest with ourselves, we should admit that we cannot do it all and that we do not know it all. Sometimes we need others to help us see our strengths and weaknesses and then give us encouragement on how to be better instead of bitter on the curves we have been given. So if you are reading this post then be an encouragement to someone else and build relationships instead of breaking them up. If you are on the receiving end of this encouragement willingly accept it and be thankful that person is willing to make your business their business. God told older women in Titus 2 to be teachers to younger women. All it takes is one kind word and advice from a respected individual to change ones outlook in life. If you are on the hearing end of the advice...even though you might not want to hear it at that moment...LISTEN, mull over what was said, and try to take what you heard in a positive manner since the other party is doing this act out of LOVE for you.        
3. Ok, so you might have failed, now what? First, keep in mind you might fail again! But don’t let this discourage you, because we all do. Keep the words of Zig Ziglar in mind, “Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker”. You can always ask for forgiveness and learn from past mistakes, but you have to turn from that mistake and try not to commit it again. Jesus blood continuously washes us white as snow once we take him on in baptism for the remission of our sins, but we have to ask for forgiveness and continue in God's word walking in the light and being faithful unto death since the truth will set us free (John 8:31-32, Hebrews 10:23-39, Revelation 3:3, 19-22). If you want to change your ways there is an easy plan to follow...God's plan. 

In conclusion, use your past experiences and memories of yesterday to make you a better person that is not bitter. Learn from your past and do better in the future as you walk throughout your journey. Let your hair down, wear no make-up, and be you for a moment! Who knows the end result might just be a beautiful snapshot in time capturing the true essence of who you truly are?