Time Flies When You're Loving Life

So. Close. To. Christmas…

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year! The anticipation of going home in just a few short days is all that is motivating me these last few days. While studying for exams has been a whole new experience (one that I don’t look forward to experiencing 7 more times, Ha!) there have been some fun Christmas moments along the way. This past week at Synergy we got to wear our Tacky Sweaters (or turtlenecks) and worship, learn, and laugh with sweet friends! Lydia and I, being the freshman that we are, didn’t know how tacky everyone would look and decided to go big or go home. Let’s just say…we were one of the select few that really took tacky to heart. While there were some funny sweatshirts and sweaters, we know that all that saw our Santa boxers secretly envied them. We are so cool…not! We also decided that our humble abode needed some decorating, so being the poor college students that we are, we scrounged up some money and bought a precious (and ridiculously tacky) Christmas tree, which we decorated proudly. Oh the joys of dorm living! 

Rocking the Turtlenecks...

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

We also got to be apart of Southland's 316 Food Packaging for Haiti which was AMAZING! After several days of packing, 1,000,048 meals were packed which will serve 3,000 children in Haiti for an entire year. What an incredibly humbling experience this was. As I sealed each package, I prayed for the sweet child that would receive the meal and I longed to tell them that despite the trials they face on this earth, they have a Father who loves them and offers hope beyond this broken world. It was a beautiful reminder that as a body of Christ, we have the ability and responsibility to help those in need around the world. 

Rocking the Hair Nets

3,000 Children Fed for One Year

1,000,000 Meals Packed

6,000 Volunteers

1 INCREDIBLE God

"For God SO loves the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."-John 3:16

I Survived…

Once upon a time, there lived a girl who traveled far far away (well…not really) from home to attend college. This girl had no idea what was in store for her-she was scared, alone, and felt completely mentally and emotionally unprepared for all that was to come. She cried herself to sleep many nights and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She relied heavily on the Lord’s comfort and prayed for opportunities to grow, learn, and laugh. Then along came sweet friends who she was able to share laughter with and create memories with and she no longer felt so alone. This girl has learned a lot and has a lot to learn. She lives for the one true Prince Charming in her life. She is in awe of the blessings in her life and is humbled by her Savior’s love. As she turns the page of this first chapter, she anxiously awaits to see what He will write in the pages to come. And she lives joyfully ever after…

Wow. I cannot believe that I am officially a second semester freshman. Time has flown by! Goodness, when I look back on the pictures from the first week of school and read my first blog post, my heart aches thinking about the fear and loneliness I felt those first few weeks of school. It is amazing to see how much the Lord has worked in my heart these past few months. I have been so blessed to have the amazing support, encouragement, and most importantly prayers from the people in my life that mean the world to me. It has been so humbling (and amazing) to have to rely fully on the Lord for His comfort and peace and to trust that my frustration and heartache would work together for His glory and His good. My heart has been transformed already and I am so excited to see how He continues to mold me into the woman He has created me to be.

As I wrap up the semester, I thought I would take a moment to write out some of the highlights of the semester and the lessons I’ve learned. These lists are far from all-inclusive as my brain is currently fried from studying for finals all week. Ha!

Highlights of the Semester:

CSF in general- specifically Synergy and Fall Retreat

Southland- specifically 608, Jesus Prom, and Meal Packing for Haiti

The countless opportunities I’ve had to grow in my faith and become the woman the Lord has called me to be- through fellowship, reflecting, praying, and learning
Celebrating my birthday with mom and dad in Lexington

Being reminded of how incredible of a support system I have back home

Thursday lunches with Rachel

Late night conversations with Lydia

Monday night's at Woodhill

Discovering the joy of blogging

Interpretative dancing and balancing on the bedposts

Family Weekend

All of the hilarious moments I’ve experienced

Lessons Learned:

God is SO faithful and works in amazing ways

My life is not my own

Prayer is powerful

God has an incredible way of using imperfect people to accomplish amazing things

Joy is not circumstantial

Late night meaningful conversations trump sleep any day

Taking time to reflect and relax is crucial

Letting people help you doesn’t mean you fail, it just means you’re not in it alone

I have been reminded that little acts of kindness go a long way

Laughter really is the shortest distance between people

There are broken and hurting people that surround me daily who I have the responsibility and honor to love and show grace and kindness towards

(Now for some silly ones…)

Awkward is the new awesome

I am now a semi-proficient Starbucks orderer

It’s best to set two alarms in the morning…especially when you have an 8AM class

Dancing and singing are awesome stress relievers

Shoes and bathrooms are a combination that should never have to go together

Facebook and Twitter are much more entertaining than doing homework

Jeans and a sweater=really dressing up…yoga pants and a sweatshirt= daily attire

Naps are a beautiful thing

Rainy days result in pure entertainment-bubble umbrella= game changer

Sleeping trumps getting ready any day…I’ve gotten my time down to 8 minutes from start to finish

Laundry is optional

Fire alarms without fail go off at the most inconvenient times

After hours of studying, you cannot be held responsible for the bizarre comments that spew out of your mouth

Receiving a letter in the mail makes any day brighter

Gosh, there are SO many fun experiences and lessons I’ve learned this year. I could go on and on but the statement that sums up both my favorite moments and the lessons I’ve learned is this- God is good.

As this semester comes to a close, I am relieved that I survived, thankful for the blessings the Lord has showered over me, and excited to see what else He has in store for me. My goal for next semester: Keep learning, growing, loving, and laughing. 

Thankful

Random Reflections…

I often feel closest to the Lord when I am outside enjoying and reflecting on all that He has so masterfully created. It absolutely blows my mind to think about how extraordinarily creative our God is and humbles me to think that while He made the Heavens and the Earth, He also created me and loves me far more than my mind can fathom. Wow. What an unbelievable honor. Several weeks ago, Lydia and I were lying outside just enjoying the perfectly blue sky and warm sunshine. After several minutes of blocking the sun with my hand, I put it down and was blinded by the radiant light. After wiping away the tears that immediately ran down my face, we started talking about how crazy it was that while we see the sun every day, we can never look directly at it.

That conversation got me thinking about Jesus, the SON of God. After marveling at the Lord’s creativity, I realized how many parallels the physical sun and the Son of God had:

-Like the radiant light the sun emits, we cannot look directly into His eyes, but we see proof of Him everywhere.

-Like the rays of the sun, His arms were outstretched upon the cross to signify His unwavering and incomprehensible love for us and they remain open for us to run into His loving embrace.

“Forever Reign” captures this thought perfectly:

Oh, I'm running to your arms,

I'm running to arms

The riches of your love

Will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

-The sun shines all around the world and the SON shines all around the world. The sun’s rays reach to the ends of the earth, just like His love, hope, and grace does.

-Without the sun, it would be impossible for any living creature to remain alive. Likewise, we are incapable of living purposeful and joyful lives of hope that there is more than this earthly life of pain, disappointment, and sin without the Son of God.

While thinking about the sun, I then began thinking about the stars in the sky. It blows my mind every time I sing the line, “You placed the stars in the sky and you them by name, You are amazing God” in Chris Tomlin’s song Indescribable. While the sun I think symbolizes Jesus, I think the stars symbolize us, His children.

-As the stars are a scaled down version of the sun, we are in essence a scaled down version of Jesus. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” And in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

-As Isaiah 40:26, says “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hose one by one, and calls each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” And in Psalm 147:4, “He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name.” God knows the name of every stay in the sky. Likewise, He knows every one of His children by name. Isaiah 43:1 states, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” John 10:14-15 states, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

-As stars twinkle and shine in the dark night sky, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to be shining lights in a dark world. Matthew 5:14-16 states, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The song, We Are captures the thought of our responsibility to shine for the Lord and be a source of light for those around us...

While these are not earth-shattering realizations and some may be farfetched, I had to smile thinking of how incredibly amazing our God is and how thankful I am for the daily reminders of How present He is and how much He loves us. The sun and the stars are so incomprehensibly big, yet God loves little us SO much more. Wow. Goodness, can I just say again how creative of a God we have the opportunity to serve and love and be loved by? Blessed.

Wicked…

Family + Friends + Broadway Show = Perfect Night. A few weekends ago, Rach and I were given an early Christmas surprise…tickets to see Wicked with our family and our second family, the Buck’s. After a wonderful morning of church, friends, and fellowship, we got all dressed up and ventured downtown. We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant and enjoyed laughing and talking and then walked over (huddled around umbrellas) to the Aronoff. After taking some family pictures, we found our seats and enjoyed the most spectacular show I’ve ever seen. Wow-the amount of talent that those men and women displayed was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t help but thank God for blessing those men and women with such an incredible talent and allowing them to share their voices with us. I got teary eyed as Elphaba sang Defying Gravity as it was such a defining and empowering moment and during For Good as a I reflected on all of the people who “I have been changed for good” by. Definitely an awesome time spent with the incredible people in my life and wonderful memories made. So blessed and so thankful.

God Is Able

It’s not often that you get to worship alongside several thousand brothers and sisters in Christ and sing in complete abandon to the Lord. I had the opportunity to go to the Hillsong Concert with Rachel (and several thousand others) and take part in a beautiful worship experience. The title song of Hillsong’s latest CD is God Is Able. The lyrics of this song are so powerful. How comforting it is to know that above all circumstances, God is able. He is able to restore us from darkness, to set us free, to love us despite our failure, to soften hardened hearts, to heal the broken, to pick us up when we fall, to do extraordinary things through ordinary people, to give us life everlasting, and so much more. What a relief it is to know that our God is able because we are not.

Thousands of Things to Be Thankful For…

At church last Sunday, Mike Breaux encouraged us to sit down and let our minds wander as we wrote down what we were thankful for, so I’m going to do just that. This list is not all inclusive by a long shot as I truly have thousands of things to be thankful for, but here we go-

I am thankful for a God who loves me more than my mind can fathom and who I have the opportunity to serve and live for. I’m thankful for my family, who loves, encourages, teaches, guides, and provides for me. I'm thankful for my faux family members, who are family. I’m thankful for my friends who bring so much joy into my life. I’m thankful for the good health the Lord has so graciously blessed my family and I with. I’m thankful for the ability to attend two amazing churches and for such an incredible church family. I’m thankful for…the Bible, freedom, the ability to go to college, CSF, love, joy, babies, laughter, comfy clothes, music, smiling, corny jokes, flowers, stars, sunny days, a comfy bed, singing, creativity, imagination, dreams, books, tumbling, lazy days, sleeping, Passion, my iPhone, the ocean, the sun, fluffy clouds, the smell of freshly cut grass, sunsets, sweet tea, summer, classic Disney movies, hope, grace, tumbling, handwritten letters, electricity, heat, silence, different languages, unique talents and abilities, fingernail polish, kids, food, clean water, chivalry, clumsy moments, medicine, the internet, indoor plumbing, simple acts of kindness, pictures, vacations, colors, memories, cozy blankets, Christmas decorations, non-communal bathrooms, my puppy dogs, naps, umbrellas, holidays…

Okay, after reading that you can tell how scatterbrained I currently am. There are so many things that I have left off, but as you can see, there is SO much to be thankful for. I am often brought to tears thinking of how beautifully blessed I am. I am so undeserving of the blessings the Lord so graciously pours over me and am humbled by His generosity. Being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family was so wonderful. Always so much laughter, great conversation, and love. Nothing better than family, food, and fun.

Over the break, we were reunited with some precious friends of ours and were able to get caught up on how the Lord is working in each of our lives and encourage one another. Finally sitting around the dinner table together laughing and fellowshipping made it seem like all was right with the world. It was a really unique opportunity to reflect on this first semester of college with the younger siblings and share funny experiences and lessons learned. These brothers and sisters that I have been so graciously blessed with have helped me grow in immeasurable ways and continue to help shape me into the person the Lord has created me to be. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 fits this group perfectly, except I need to revise it to- “Ten are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if any of them falls down, the others can help the one up…” These sweet friends are the brothers and sisters I never knew I was missing until I was reunited with them.

Healing Is In Your Hands…

This past week my Nanny and Pappy were both admitted into the hospital. Nanny and Pappy are two of the most incredible people I’ve ever had the honor of knowing. They have blessed my life in immeasurable ways and have always poured love, encouragement, wisdom, and laughter into my life. It absolutely broke my heart to not be able be physically with them in spirit. The Lord probably got tired of my constant prayers for healing and strength for Nanny and Pappy and wisdom and clarity for their doctors. Again, I turned to the song “Healing Is In Your Hands” by Christy Nockels and cried as I sang along. This song is such a beautiful reminder that God is the ultimate healer and that despite all circumstances, He is in control. After several days in the hospital, Pappy is back home resting and recovering and Nanny will join him soon. Praise the Lord! This scare was a great reminder of how precious life is and more importantly, how precious the people in my life are. At the end of every conversation I have with either of them we say, “I love you the most.” And the other says, “Fraid’ not deary.” What a tremendous blessing it is to have to argue over who loves the other the most. Crazy blessed and crazy thankful.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can…

Goodness, this next week and a half is going to be unbelievably stressful and busy. The end of the semester is quickly coming to an end and there is still so much to get done. My calendar is officially busting at the seams and is quite daunting to look at. I While this time is going to be stressful and long days and late nights are inevitable, I am going to keep my eyes fixed on the Lord and do what 1 Peter 5:7 tells me to do, “Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” It’s that simple. Sleep some, pray a lot, study and work hard, live and love a lot, and end each day happy that I’m one day closer to break and even more importantly, thankful that I had one more day to live for the Lord. I am SO close to Christmas Break and am so close to being finished with my first semester of college! Craziness. So…let the next week and a half begin. Bring it on.