There is a statement that I've made on more than one occassion that basically says "To your hometown you'll always be the person you were at seventeen". What I mean by that, is that no matter how far you progress in life, there will always be someone or multiple someones that still see you as the kid that shoplifted the friendship bracelet from the Penny Pantry, the teenager that took your parents car of a spin and wrecked it, or the young adult that seemed to not have very much direction in their life... or whatever.
I realized tonight though - in a very humbling way - that if we are honest, there are people in our lives that we do the same thing to.
I would have to say that I try to keep an open mind about people, yet there is always that one that seems to prove my opinion right. Which is funny, because I don't remember when God made me the tester of people, but I guess by my actions I must feel like He did sometimes. So, this weekend a situation happened - and the details are not needed - but I was certain I knew how this person would react when they found out. I was waiting....for two days I waited. You know what? Nothing happened. Not one thing. No phone call demanding for their opinion to be known, no visit to share with me their thoughts on the situation....nothing. It was strange.
Then, I had to sit down and be honest with myself. As much as I hate it when people try to compare the 30 year old Kim with the younger version and not compensate for the life lessons learned - I had in turn been doing the same thing. It wasn't my finest moment. It opened my eyes to the fact that just as I have grown and developed - just maybe so has this other person. I have found myself telling my friend, Laura, something along these lines "So and so treats me like I'm still the 17 year old person I was when I met them....it is frustrating!!! It's like they think they know me, but they don't. They don't know who I am today." You know what? Maybe, just maybe, I've been guilty of doing the exact same thing to them.
Tonight I am thankful for growth....even with that comes through a humbling experience. I pray that I will remember this moment.
