Learning

I know I've said this before, but I really hate growing up. Actually, I don't hate the result at all, but the process is still horrible. I don't want to let go of things, even though I know they're not important or good for me. Someday, I will learn. Until then, I guess I'll just struggle through the muck.

I also thought I'd share the list of things I learned during the school year:

About my church community:
They really do care about me
They're willing to deal with conflict
They all have just as many struggles as me
They thirst after God
They are astoundingly open
We really do need one another

About God:
He does not abandon us
Sometimes He chastises us because He loves us
He has plans I can't understand
He offers us grace
Human pain does not kill Him; He lives even in darkness
God does not abuse His power
He blesses us in the midst of pain
He moves in mysterious ways (Yes, that was a U2 reference :))

About myself:
I have more issues than I realized
I need to get rid of them
I do not need to be self-sufficient
I have the capacity for great passion -- both positive and negative
I am too convicted by God to completely abandon Him, even if I want to
Some people actually do enjoy being around me
I crave prestige, praise, and respect more than anything else
I can survive as a single, 20-year-old woman
My passions are not constant
I am easily distracted from God
I am a fighter
There is potential for me to be absurdly happy
I want to love people without restraint