31 Days of Trusting Grace - Day 16 - 16 Things I'm learning

Well, it is Throwback Thursday, so I'm headed back to an entry I never got around to posting.  It was supposed to be called "24 Lessons I'm Soaking in at 24," and be posted on my 24th birthday, but I never could quite get to 24, so I gave up.  So today it's just a post about the things I'm learning (which just happened to total 16, and correspond to this day in the challenge.  I promise I didn't plan that!).  So here we go....

1.  You are never too old to get giddy-excited about seeing Mom and Dad.
2.  Hold everything in this life loosely to create space for what really matters.
3.  Google, Pinterest, and Facebook are gifts and tools the generations before us didn't have.  They're also a curse.
4.  It's never really about the work that we do as much as it is about God's work in and through us.
5.  There is no such thing as making the perfect decision.  All we can do is make a choice and trust God's sovereign will is bigger than us and always for our best.
6.  Make counting gifts and giving thanks a daily discipline.
7.  "You are rich when you are content with a life full of things that money can't buy" - Ann Voskamp
8.  Blogs are fantastic.  But nothing can replace turning off the screen and feeling paper between your fingers.
9.  NPR is so worth your time.
10.  The number of spaces filled in your day planner does not actually correspond to your level of fulfillment, purpose, or value.
11.  Never underestimate the power of these two phrases: "Thank you" and "I love you"
12.  Working out and eating right and living healthy isn't about a number on a scale or being seen as beautiful; it is about being a good steward of the body God has given you and being an effective vessel for His work through you.  Once you get that down, lasting motivation is much easier to find.
13.  "It is our imperfections that make us so perfect for each other." - Jane Austen, Emma.  Yeah, don't hide behind a mask.  Embrace vulnerability and imperfection.  That's where real connection happens.
14.  Tears don't mean weakness.  Tears mean surrender.  And if, "tomorrow's freedom is today's surrender," tears are where the healing begins.
15.  Introversion is not a flaw; it's just how some people are wired.  There are weaknesses that come with it.  There are also incredible gifts.  Once you simply own who you are -with all the strengths and weaknesses -  and give it over, God can use you in such powerful ways.  
16.  Perfection really is my enemy, because I've got to face the mistakes I've made and make every day, so I can see Redemption in progress.  And I've got to embrace my imperfections so that I can begin to fully receive the gift of Grace.  I miss so much when I get wrapped up in getting it all right.