Lesson Learned....or Being Learned

So, I have less than a week to get a July post on the books, so here goes!

This summer has been one of lots of learning for me, so it's good for me to sit down for a few minutes and process what I'm learning and how I can apply what I'm learning beyond "huh - that's cool" to "wow - that was really a turning point."  Here's a less-than-all-inclusive list of the life lessons in my primer these days.

I'm bad at my job.  I suppose this is a bit subjective, and the ultimate determination of it might be my boss's call more than mine.  But here's the skinny:  I know I could be a lot better at my job.  I could invest my time, energy, and skills more effectively to promote and further the ministry for which I work.  I think maybe that's my issue...I see it like a job, like something to check off my list, instead of a calling to serve the Lord with the best of me.  So I'm learning to give of myself more than is required to check a task off my list and really invest with my heart into a cause that matters.

I don't like going to the gym.  But I'm going anyway.  I have never been one for much physical exertion, and if I'm going to exert myself physically, I want it to be doing something fun like catching waves at the beach or playing tennis not something mundane like running on a treadmill or lifting.  Blech.  But it's good for me.  It's good for me to do something I'm not particularly fond of, and it's good for me to start healthy habits now that will hopefully allow me to enjoy a long, healthy life.  So I'm learning to do things that are not fun in the present that will bring about a worthwhile gain in the future.

I don't know how to be a good girlfriend.  Let's be honest.  It's been a while since I was in a legit relationship with a guy.  Now I'm blessed with a wonderful man who I get to call my own, but I have to learn how to do this right.  It takes more than staring at his ridiculously handsome face across a dinner table or holding his hand as we walk around an amusement park.  It takes intentionality to build a relationship worth having.  It takes me getting out of my I've-been-single-and-on-my-own-for-a-long-time mindset and learning how to have a now-I-get-to-have-someone-else-to-consider thought process.  And he's more than worth it.  So I'm learning to let go of parts of my selfish independence for the sake of investing in another person who matters.

What lessons has this summer thrown your way?  Have you stopped to think about how you're applying them?

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You've Got a Friend in Me

I shared lunch with a great friends this week (as I do most weeks).  It made me thankful for the friendships I enjoy.  

I am blessed with an amazing group of people with whom I get to do life.  When I stop and think about it, I am spoiled to have so many friends who I would consider close, with whom I am confortable to share my life whether they are living in my house with me (shout out to my wonderful roommate!), down the road, in a different state, or a different time zone.

I find myself appreciating the relationships around me most when I approach them with intentionality. If I plan to have lunch with a friend and make sure that we don't just shoot the breeze and talk about the weather but really talk about what is going on in our lives and how we're struggling or what successes we've enjoyed, it makes our time together seem so much sweeter.  I feel like I have invested in our relationship instead of just having someone come over to eat.  I could have people who are just "lunch buddies" all day long.  But when I care enough to share my heart or ask them about theirs, real relationship happens.  And that's what it's all about. 

I'm a big proponent of discipleship.  And I think that largely means intentional relationship.  I have a friend who is older than me and further along in life than me with whom I meet every week (with few exceptions, we've been doing this for six years and some change).  We usually drink coffee and sit in her living room (or on her porch now that the weather's nice!) and share about our lives.  We often do a Bible study together or go through a book together, but mostly we just talk.  We talk about what challenges we're facing or what wins we've experienced.  I've learned from her as she's married and a mom and in a different stage of life than me.  We take time out of our lives to meet every week. To be intentional.  And it's worth it.  

So, I try to do the same thing with people who are  younger than me, who are in a different stage of life than me, but in the opposite way.  Maybe they're still in school or living with their parents or brand new to loving Jesus.  Maybe they can learn from me, but I've found that often I'm still the one learning.  

All this to say, I'm learning more and more how life is made so much sweeter when you share it with other people on purpose.  In fact, I'm meeting a new friend for coffee this afternoon.  Then catching up with some old ones later tonight.  I am one friend-blessed girl!

Just a handful of the wonderful people I get to call friends.  Love them.

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