Thursday, April 30, 2015

Graduation thoughts

One week, that is all that stands between me and graduation. Between me and the rest of my life. Between me and a career. But God stand with me and tells me “I carried you this far I will carry the rest of the way. Trust me. Lean on me and I will give you strength.” This semester has been hard but He has helped me every step of the way. From health issues to hard classes God has been with me, loving me. The God I serve is amazing! Every day I would ask “how many years did you plan this mount here to show me you love me?” (yes, I stole the line from a song, but hey it is a good song)

It is amazing how far I have come in 3 years. From returning home crying on the first day of classes (read the full story here) to now graduating, Yikes! God has grown me a lot and will continue to do so. And though I am excited to graduate I am afraid of messing up, but as mom told me 3 years ago “you are going to college 2 years early so if you mess up you have time to fix it.” Well I did not mess up that bad these last 3 years so I still have 2 years to “mess up” not that I am planning on it. I am still young and that is the perfect time to serve God and to pursue spiritual things as King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12.

There once was a time where I thought I could not handle challenges of college and life because I was comparing how I handled things to how Abby 2 years older than me was handling. But could have not be more wrong! I could handle it I just have a different way of dealing. Abby faces the challenge striating on, no hesitations, but me I take a step back, pray (still working on that one) ask friends to pray for me (again I still have a lot of work in this area) come up with a plan and go forward one step at a time. Neither is bad or good, nor better just different, like Abby and me. Different yet work well together.

Wednesday was the last Wednesday deaf & blind ministry I will go on for a while. It was so much fun! I was able to help run the pine car races. The kids loved it! As the night progressed and as my health issues started acting up, my friend Angie started to worry about me. Try as I may to convince her that I was fine, she did not pay it that much.  I think it might have had to do with the fact that the culinary arts student was not eating, who knows. That the time I was frustrated because I do not people to worry about me. I see now that God uses people in our lives to be his hands and feet not only to the lost but to our saved friends. Thank you Angie.

I want to thank my mom. Mom I do not thank you enough. You gave up your back deck to send me to school. You put up with my random messages and health questions. You never gave up on me or my sisters, you want what is best for us and for us to follow God’s will for us. Even if that means letting us move half way across the country. You taught me to work hard and it has taken me far but you also taught me to trust in God and that has taken my farther. I love you. Thank you for being my mom, thank you for being an awesome mom!

The next few years hold many unknowns but God see them like I see yesterday. My past is HIStory!! My future is HIStory!!!  

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Chapters

     Sometimes we refer to parts of our lives as chapters.  Well here I stand having come to the end of another chapter of my life. The chaptered titled College!  Whenever we close a chapter in our story we tend to look back and think about all that happened in that chapter. Like the chapter of  a book each chapter of our lives takes us closer to the end of the story.
     Hebrews 12:2 says "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  This semester at BJU one of the chapel themes has been this verse, focusing on the the first three words "Looking unto Jesus". As I get ready to start the next chapter of my life I will keep looking unto Jesus the creator, author, planner, savior, Son of God and Man, Man of sorrow and the source of my strength for the beginning of my story.
  In the next phase of my life I will trust God better than i have in this because of the lessons He has taught me in trusting Him. In the next phase of life I will build to the foundations my parents have laid in my life and not depart from it. In the next phase of life I want to take all that my parents, teachers and friend have taught me and put it into practice in a way not possible before. In the next phase of my life I want to remain humble, teachable and submitted to God's perfect plan for me. I can not wait to see what the next few years have in store for me!