What 20 Years Has Taught Me

I am young in years, but when it comes to lessons there have been many. Some I have welcomed joyfully and some have practically fallen into my lap, without so much as warning call. But are those not the best of lessons?

Here we are folks. I am finally rolling into the anticipated years of what they call... your twenties. Why these years seem so great, oh I'll probably never know. Maybe it's just the way the 2 curves. It's an appealing number.

I do not know what my twenties will entail (the rapture perhaps), but I do know what has happened in years passed. And those lessons, those life changing lessons (for me at least), are what I want to share with you today.

HERE'S WHAT 20 YEARS HAS TAUGHT ME (minus a few things in between).

1. Sometimes, what you think you need to survive, is really the thing that's killing you.

I had all the electronic gadgets and a nice guitar and case, and I thought those were necessities. I used them every day, and they were very useful. All these objects took up valuable time.

And in one night it was all gone.

Just gone. One sad night someone breaks in and takes it all. What that taught me was one real good lesson: I don't need to check Pinterest on my iPad or be able to have a touch-screen-laptop. What I need is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be, (Matthew 6:19-21 NLT).

2. Patience really is key.

What is today if you are always anticipating tomorrow? How many times will I look back on my day and realize I have wasted it because I was so focused on my plans for the weekend or stressing about what I need to get done?

Oh, but what fulfilling days I've had when I surrendered it all to God and actually lived prayerful and present. Clicking my phone off and listening to what the person in front of me has to say.

Now, I've had a difficult go at patience when it comes to waiting for marriage. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I look forward to the day I can team up with the man that I love, the man who loves me in return, and serve God side by side. I look forward to the time when we will do life together.

But if that time is not now, then I must not let my desires for a spouse keep me from serving God today and even- get this, I know this is hard to believe- on top of serving God, being joyful and thankful in the place I'm in now.

I know, crazy right? I know you're totally looking at with all the hesitation your eyes can hold saying, "You mean to tell me, Bailey, that you want me to be thankful for being single? Is that even possible?"

Yes, it is. You just keep seeking God.

This leads me to number 3.

3. My husband is worth waiting for. (and so is yours).

Now this is no big revelation. I just wanted to point out to you all that my husband rocks and he is totally worth the wait. (I know I'm not even dating yet, but I don't need to know my husband yet to know he is completely great).

4. Do not settle.

Don't you dare settle for less than God's best for you. Read the book of Ruth, see what qualities this man Boaz holds and prayerfully consider traits that you hope to find in a man. Then, once you've thought about what you desire in a man, never settle. Ever. God wants more for you than you even want for you. And that totally made no sense.

Do you want a Boaz or a Bozo?

5. Do not fear vulnerability.

Why do we look at the word "vulnerable" and cringe? We fear it because within our vulnerability, it is easy to get hurt. I want to look at the definition: "susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm."

As Christians, God often calls us out of our comfort zones into places where we feel we can easily get hurt- to places where we may be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm. He calls us to places where we end up feeling completely defenseless and weak. When He does this in our lives, that is when His power can finally be made perfect. That is when we see His glory shine forth. It's during these scary times that our relationships with Christ grow and we are stretched.

6. Be a softy.

A prayer that I have carried with me from the moment of Christian birth is that God would soften my heart. We can become so calloused that we can't even see what God may be trying to teach us or what He may be calling us to.

I've got some pretty cool news: God is in the business of clay making. He takes our hearts and, though it may be painful, He chips and chisels away at our hearts, turning it into something beautiful. Something that reflects Jesus Christ.

I never want to become hardened toward God. I want to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading in my life. When He calls me, I want to Go.

So, Go be a softy, okay?

This is the longest post ever, but I love talking about things God has taught me. I pray that He will keep teaching, and as long as He is doing that, I'll keep sharing for as long as He calls me to.

Oh and 7 is the number of completion, right? I'll give one more.

7. BE YOU.

You're a gem, and who the heck cares what that mean, popular girl thinks? Who are you in God's eyes? Go read Psalm 139 and find out.

Stop changing yourself to feel accepted by a crowd who doesn't care a bit. Instead, be yourself, seek God always and find joy in Him.

Your worth exceeds that of diamonds. You're worth waiting for. And you are loved by the God of heavens armies. And you don't have to do anything to earn it.

That is good news, friend. Have a blessed day.

Hashtag Number The Days

So there's this new uprising. It's so huge it'll be viral on instagram and twitter in no time. People have started doing it from all across the world. They're even doing a new challenge to give it awareness and everything!

Okay. So it's just me.

And whether the world of social media joins me or not, I'm doing it. I need to remember that our time here is limited. That my life has purpose and to use what time I have here to do what God has called me to.

It's been inspired by the verse in the Psalms, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom," (Psalm 90:12) And I'm calling it #numberthedays.

I need this reminder, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, I believe others need this reminder too.

I find it difficult to believe, quite often, that God has a purpose for me to carry out. I'm just a confidence-lacking lassy who thinks too much of herself and not enough of other people. Who forgets to pray more often and uses the time she has to watch Netflix.

But I truly believe that God has better plans. Think, just for a moment, about how precious your time here on earth is. How short it is. What does that do?

Does it discourage you and make you want to give up? If you have given your life to Jesus Christ, I find that hard to believe. That thought drives me to Jesus Christ. He has begun a work in me and He is faithful to carry it out. He will transform us, and Christ who is living in us will do a work.

Let us remember to use the time God has given us to carry out the plan that He intended.

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. (2 Thessalonians 1:11).

Want to join in on the movement?

It's easy. Whenever you post a photo or message that inspires others or inspired you, or something that glorifies God, Hashtag it #NumberTheDays. Really there are no rules. You get creative and do what you will. Easy peasy, right? So... Ready. Set. Go.