Being stressed is not a sign of being successful, important, or grown-up.
Growth can be RIDICULOUSLY painful; also absolutely and incredibly worth it.
Apologizing is a sign of strength and maturity, NOT a sign of weakness and failure.
Words of affirmation do not make someone proud, and shaming someone does not inspire them to excellence.
White shoes take a lot of work to keep clean. Boring old black sneakers are were it’s at. (Haha to my old-soul fourteen-year-old self on that one.)
Gummy bears are for adults too.
Silence does not always mean disapproval.
Budgeting is fun, and powerful, and immensely freeing.
Porn is present in the church. And not everyone who views porn is an evil person; most would love to be free.
You will never be done learning.
Letters after someone’s name actually tell you very little about how much they know or how well they can apply it.
Jesus really does love you.
Seeing people as all good or all bad is an incredibly stressful way to live.
Cars run better if you check and change the oil regularly.
Driving said cars is not a one-way ticket to hell.
There’s a lot of things the Bible doesn’t say that I was taught it does. For example: God doesn’t look down His nose at women.
Wool socks beat cotton, hands down, every day.
Most women have no idea how to properly fit a bra.
Sex and sexuality was God’s idea, not a dirty little secret that the devil slipped in.
Always carry a plastic spoon in your purse or glove compartment. It will come in handy more times than you think.
Classical music is not always boring. (Thanks, NPR on the radio, in taxi driver Frank Codera’s old stanky Chevy van, for giving me an intimation that this might be so.)
The world is much bigger than our little idea of it. In fact, the world is bigger than America, and it is incredibly rich and varied and beautiful and heartbreaking and harsh and glorious, all at once. Travel. It’s worth it.
Mission work will not automatically make your children leave God and “the church”.
Salads are good, if made right. Who knew?!
God still speaks to His people, and you can learn to hear His voice.
Steak is better if not overcooked. Meat thermometers help with this.
Women can wear pants and not be evil.
Cereal out of a box is a lousy breakfast.
Adults do not have everything figured out and often feel uncertain.