Lessons Learned

by: Carrie Underwood

There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,
That had some better endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo.
Some things,
I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don't really matter,
When life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should have taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are the things that make you strong!
You can't change the past,
Cause it's gone.
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
From everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
From every change, life has thrown me.
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Lessons learned.
Lessons learned.

Quiet Time

I am realizing my need for quality quiet time. A time for me to recharge. This time enables me to pour out my heart to God and process my feelings in light of who He is. I am able to refocus my mind on God's truth. Often how He wants to speak to me is so different from what I want to hear. I am realizing the value of quieting myself in order to listen to His voice. His words are so much sweeter than mine.

LOVE. Such a complicated four letter word. I have such a hard time both giving and receiving those words. I have difficulty grasping the reality of God's love for me. I don't trust that other people truly mean that they love me. What does it mean to love anyway?

I get so lost in the head stuff, that my heart suffers. I so desperately want to feel truly loved. I need to learn to accept love.

I want to be passionately in love with Jesus. I just don't feel it most days. It's frustrating.

Lord, break these barriers.

Revelation #1: Everyone is so different and unique. Quite fascinating actually.

Revelation #2: I am an external processor. Not everybody is like me.

Revelation #3: Its okay to let myself dream of the future.

Learning so much

1. God is the only One who can fulfill me.

2. When it comes down to it, very little matters in life.

3. Unanswered questions are okay.

4. Less is more.

5. Truth is powerful.

6. Pain and brokenness are often the sweetest gifts from the Lord.

7. God wants to teach me so much within the context of relationships.

8. There is no need to be afraid.

9. Life is not all about me.

10. God's grace is truly amazing.

Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty... acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours." J. I. Packer

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." ~Isaiah 40:10

Oswald Chambers--The Commission of the Call

Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake." Colossians 1:24
We make calls out of our own spiritual consecration, but when we get right with God He brushes all these aside, and rivets us with a pain that is terrific to one thing we never dreamed of, and for one radiant flashing moment we see what He is after, and we say - "Here am I, send me."
This call has nothing to do with personal sanctification, but with being made broken bread and poured-out wine. God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with. If God would only use His own fingers, and make me broken bread and poured-out wine in a special way! But when He uses someone whom we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, and makes those the crushers, we object. We must never choose the scene of our own martyrdom. If ever we are going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed; you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed.
I wonder what kind of finger and thumb God has been using to squeeze you, and you have been like a marble and escaped? You are not ripe yet, and if God had squeezed you, the wine would have been remarkably bitter. To be a sacramental personality means that the elements of the natural life are presenced by God as they are broken providentially in His service. We have to be adjusted into God before we can be broken bread in His hands. Keep right with God and let Him do what He likes, and you will find that He is producing the kind of bread and wine that will benefit His other children.
A friend gave me this devotional while I was going through a very difficult time a few years back. I didn't "get it" then. I do now. I have seen God work in my pain and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am learning to welcome pain and brokenness with open arms--they are channels that God uses to transform us. I would not be the person I am today without the intense squeezing! I am often tempted to escape the squeezing, but am learning to sit and look for God's lessons in the pain. It is during seasons of brokenness that I see God and His attributes most clearly. I experience God is a new and deeper way. I get it now. I now see that God is worthy to be praised, especially in times of suffering and hardship--He is adjusting us into Himself. I am learning to fully experience the sweetness of His presence. God do what You like with me.

The Good Ol' Question of....Balance

Now that I am feeling ready to tackle life head on, I am confronted yet again with the question of balance. I have 20 current piano students and about 10 potential students on a waiting list. I am so thankful for God’s provision! And yet, school starts in less than a month. The question that comes with all this is: how stressed do I really want to be? J In addition to teaching, full-time school leaves little time for building relationships and simply enjoying life. I have been so blessed by getting involved in the college group at Community Covenant and really see God’s hand in our connections and interactions with each other. I don’t want to lose that in the fall because I am juggling too much.

Was thinking today of this question of balance and realizing that much of what I think matters, actually has little significance. I really want to graduate this year. And yet, I ask myself, why? I don’t really know. "Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter." –Francis Chan

Realizing that exactly when I finish school is relatively insignificant, I am now asking myself what does matter to me. Where do I want to invest my time and energy? I want to focus on God, healing, and building relationships. I don't want to be so focused on school and work that I miss the things in life that matter most. I am stoked at how God is working in my personal life as I have taken the time to seek Him and fellowship with those around me. I am truly amazed at the lessons He is teaching me daily. So excited to see what He is teaching me in the context of relationships--there is so much to learn from one another.

So in the 10 minutes I took to write this: I think I have come to a conclusion. Less is more for now. I don't want to be too busy for the plans God has for me. Right now, I need to focus on seeking Him and growing closer to those in the body of Christ. Less school. Less busy. More God. More fellowship. Just a little word from God today.