I have had the great honor and privilege of celebrating my 40th Birthday this week. I took time to reflect on 40 things I have learned in my 40 years on planet earth. I have decided to show you just 10 of the 40. Let me know if you need to see the rest.

Here goes…

1. God is my everything. I could not be here today, if it were not of God’s amazing grace. He saved me, Hallelujah!
2. Family matters. Friendships matter. No person is an island. We are created to live and function in the context of community.
3. To my disappointment, I have learned that I do not know everything. What?!
4. Be yourself. Be real. Be comfortable in your own skin.. Faking it to make it is stressful, difficult and exhausting.
5. Respect people. Everyone is uniquely created in God’s image. Everyone is valuable. Everyone has a story. Get to know people at a deeper level.
6. People will disappoint you. People will hurt you. People will let you down. It comes with being human.
7. We are all sinners, fallen creatures, in desperate in need of salvation. No matter how good looking, wealthy, or educated we may be, we still need salvation.
8. Forgiveness keeps relationships running. “Forgive each other, as in Christ Jesus you were forgiven.” – Ephesians 4:32 Forgive all. Leave the revenge to God.
9. I have often wondered why no one thinks like me. Hahaha! It is a good thing not everyone thinks the way I do.
10. Suffering is a guarantee. Sometimes things just do not work. Pain can happen to those already hurting. We may ask “Why?” We live in a fallen world. We look up to God in times of trouble.