important lessons

I hung out with Beth Burkey ( I mean Malone, lol) last night. I love Beth for a myriad of reasons but the one thing that sticks out to me is our amazing ability of being real with each other. I can tell Beth anything and I know she won't judge me or think any less of me. Last night, we had great conversation over a lot of different things, but a few things stick out.

We talked about the importance of taking care of yourself. When you prioritize looking after your own emotions, feelings, reactions, health, spirituality etc. you have a stronger ability to help others. When you try to take care of others before yourself, it just gets messy. I think this is so important! On so many occasions, I have put my own well-being to the side. This topic has been huge for me this past year. At the beginning of the year, I forgot how to take care of myself. I wasn't eating well, exercising, sleeping or turning to the Lord, I felt out of wack. Trying to take care of my students or help others was almost impossible because I wasn't looking after myself first. I also think there is a huge difference between being selfish and taking care of yourself. It's such a fine balance between serving others and looking after yourself.

Antoher thing I got to talk to Beth about is self-worth. I think most girls can relate to at one point or another in their lives, trying to find worth in their relationships with men or others. While I think relationships are vital for emotional health, it can be deadly when we try to find our self value and worth in people that are just as broken as we are. I think the way people negatively treat each other is a direct relation to their own brokenness. If you base your self worth off of how others treat you, you'll always feel empty-handed. God has waved flags up and down this year to make me realize that my worth is soley in Him. He calls me ( and you) his daughter, his beloved, his love, his child. Think about it, th creator of the universe is foolishly in love with you. It seems silly to me to base my worth off of anything other than that.

I'm so thankful for my friendships! Man, I love Beth!