You messed up plenty and got better because of it. You taught yourself things the hard way, like running blindly into each piece of a wall until you felt a door with your face. You learned things the easy way too, sometimes. You've stretched and grown. You have done some goods things. Don't forget that. Your efforts are not in vain, and they are appreciated.
I have to be blunt though, while you've done much, there is a huge difference in what you're accomplishing and what you're capable of. Don't waste potential. Don't waste time. Time is precious. Resting is important, but don't take breaks - earn them. School is tough, life is busy, but the wonderful thing is that those things don't prevent you from breathing praise and living for Jesus every second.
Do not let yourself forget the lessons of this weekend, and of 2010. Knowing leads to loving leads to obeying leads to abiding leads to abounding. Every step is important, you've tried to skip ahead long enough. Stop. You cannot profess what you do not possess.
Repenting is not (only) begging forgiveness. Wherever you got that silly idea, I do not know. To repent is to turn away. To change. To do a different, better, more beautiful thing instead. Let's be honest, sin is fun, but God is infinitely bigger and better. Sweating over sin only gives it a mental foothold. So don't. Live your best; God takes it from there.
You've always been a man of careful thoughts, plans, ideas. Now is the time to start really putting action behind them. Do hard things. Demand (of yourself) the mountain, and don't wheedle out of it when it turns out to be even harder than expected. In fact, rejoice when it does. Rise to the difficulty and then rise right above it.
Feeling warm fuzzies don't stop you from being lukewarm. Meaning well doesn't stop it either. You must choose it. Every day. Every hour. Every second. Every action. Every breath. Don't let up. Don't be held back by anything, least of all yourself. Fall down seven times, get up eight.
Each moment is a test that you get to take one time and only one time. Life's a song you can't rehearse. Life is a stage, play the best part you can. Life's a dance you learn as you go, so show 'em a new move.
Isn't it ironic that you need to take life less seriously? It's about the process at least as much as the end result. Concentrate. Be adaptable. Be ready. Expect God to surprise you; He certainly hasn't stopped yet. Accept your finite mind. Plan only as far ahead as you must. Leave room for faith.
Put your heart in it. The intellectual part of you doesn't know how that makes a difference, but you know it does. If it matters to you, it matters. So care about it. Get excited. Get angry. Get hyper. Get sad even.
Start things. Don't tell people that you're going to start something - that's a waste of time you should already be doing it! Make it a week without giving up or slowing down before telling a single person. Encouragement is too precious as it is - stop using it as fuel, as bait, as the goal.
Right now, your grad school applications are the giants you face. You've delayed, stalled, cowered. Get over it. If it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be worthwhile. Give your indecision up. Make a choice, walk forward in faith, repeat. Trust God to slam doors in your face when needed.
Alright, that was heavy. But important. We can wrap up more in character with something related but lighter. Take it away Brad Stine.
