When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be Like a Grown-Up :)

Recently, we had a blast celebrating my nephew's first birthday at Jollibee! I enjoyed it a lot (maybe too much!) that I told my family that I would want a Jollibee birthday party for myself this year. I started calculating the cost and working on my guest list (I tell you, it was oh-so-difficult to keep it at 50 - made me feel grateful for my many friends, relatives and loved ones!).

I want a Jollibee birthday party this year to remind me that I am no longer a child but I can always be child-like and young at heart. Age tells me I'm growing old (ouch!) and I hope the experiences that come with the numbers have helped me grow up, too.

These are just some of the things I've learned a grown-up should be like (and sometimes I still see myself reverting back to childhood or my growing up years when I reflect on them):

1. You think less of yourself and what other people say about you. It's what you can still become, the grace to be grateful for who you are, and how you can enrich the lives of those around you that matter more.
2. You learn that love is not a feeling but a decision - a conscious will to be patient, kind, not envious, not proud, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and to forgive when wronged...that as long as you are loving, you will always have hope, you will keep trusting, and you will persevere. That's why, saying "I love You" comes with a great responsibility.
3. You realize what you truly value and align your every move accordingly: the person you'll marry, the friends you'll keep, the direction your career will have, and the way you spend your time. 
4. You gain more courage - not to do all things, but to do the things that are right - with love as the motivation (read number 2 again)
5. You enjoy the present but you live it with the future in mind because every decision and action you make at present contributes to shaping your future. You even go beyond the future for you know in your heart, you're meant to live forever. So you focus more on things that will matter in eternity.
6. You can let go of the past because you believe in the beauty of the future! You develop the ability to accept things even when they don't match your expectations because time and time again, life teaches you that not everything will go your way as you imagine it. But our confident assurance is that, God's will is good, pleasing and perfect! We can always be excited about tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that!
7. You ask yourself deep questions that enable you to genuinely know what you love doing, what you are designed to pour out your life on...and you feel the desire to pursue it. And pursue it, you will!
8. You are able to see and feel people's heart better. In your relationships, you want to go beyond the superficial - you want to learn what makes them happy, what makes them sad, what cheers them up, what excites them, what keeps them going, who they love and why, and many more about who they genuinely are!
9. You treasure the real riches - time, words, relationships, lessons learned, maturity, and above all, GOD. You know and experience that HE makes life truly life! And when the rubber hits the road, HE shows Himself more than enough! What a sweet way to be swept away! 

My list isn't very exhaustive..I'm still a student in the school of maturity. And most of the time, to grow up entails going through tough experiences. It is when you've been through something that hit you strongly (both happily or painfully) that you grow - maybe a bit..then a little bit more..then a little bit more..till you wake up one morning and you can tell yourself, you've somehow grown up.

Don't just grow old, grow up! 

When I grow up, I wanna be like a grown-up, but definitely someone who still finds partying with Jollibee soooo awesome :)