January Reflection

So, we’re coming close towards the end of the first month of 2015. I’m one step closer towards my exams and towards growing up. This month has been full of experiences for me, some good and some bad. But though some made me cry and others made me laugh, I learnt valuable lessons from all of them. This month has been a month for reflections for me, where I’ve looked back at my day and thought what can I learn from it? As a result I feel that I have grown as a person and in my faith. I feel a greater sense of worth for the relationships that I have. I have even reconsidered what I want to do on this blog. When reflecting you can truly understand why things happen, whether good or bad. For example, some of my friends broke up and it wasn’t very pretty. One of them took it badly and in the end I realised why my mum says that it’s not the right time to get into a relationship when in school. We still haven’t developed into of personalities, we haven’t fully grown, and we are still reliant on others and not fully ourselves. Going into a relationship with this state of mind is never healthy and now I’ve experienced this first hand as I watched my close friend break down as a result for experiencing a breakdown of a relationship that shouldn’t have happened as both parties weren’t maturely ready.

I also learnt that not everyone can read your intentions. Some may take your bluntness the wrong way, feel like their being attacked or others may see it as a way in which you are being truthful. Knowing this, I was reading a book on friendship (True Friendship by Vaughan Roberts) that reminded me that we are all different, therefore our friends are different so have to be treated slightly differently when in certain situations. In learning this, I’ve learnt that I can’t rely upon my own strength in everything I do because to be quite honest, I’m not strong enough. I have sorely seen my humanity for what it is but have found that I’m not alone and that I should rely upon God’s strength rather than my own. There were some times I just felt like giving up and I remembered that ‘the Lord is my refuge’ (Psalm 91:2). Knowing this is what truly got me through this month at the most dire of times and I’m thankful for that. Obviously this isn’t all that I have learnt this month, but they’re the lessons that I feel have been at the forefront of my mind the whole month.

How will I take my experiences into the next month? Well I have learnt that though you may have many friends, only a few are true ones who will always stick by your side. For those friendships you should try you’re hardest to keep them going. You should try your hardest to be a good friend you they know is there but never be taken for advantage and know your boundaries for what you will do for them.

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Proverbs 17:17

Ellah xx