Rain

Today is a rainy, cold, freezing day. It is one of those days you just want to curl up with a blanket and watch the rain come down. You don't want to go outside- It's not a fun rain, its a yucky rain.

This morning, I realized something as I was leaving for church and the rain was pouring down. We will do almost anything to avoid the rain- drive right up to doors so we don't have to walk in it, use umbrellas, rain coats, or rain boots, or even run to dodge the rain drops. But no matter what we do, we can't fully avoid the rain. We are going to get wet during a rainy day. It is almost impossible not too.

I compared this to "rain" in our own lives. We can run away, we can try to take cover, we can even use an umbrella. We can even try to dodge the raindrops. But no matter what, we are at least going to get a little wet. We can't avoid the hard times in our lives no matter how much we want too. It's close to impossible.

But the rain does bring good things; things like rainbows, and new flowers. Some days it seems like the rain is never going to stop, and the clouds are never going to go away, and it really stinks. But God will use the "rain" in your life, even if at some points it just seems like a pointless downpour. It may seem miserable when you are soaking wet, but once you are dry and the clouds are gone, you are going to thank God for the storms he put in your life- Even if that seems impossible right now.

Stop Stressing- Start Trusting

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 


What can I say about this verse? Well to start, I can say it is special to me because it is my Senior Chapel verse. But that is not the reason it is the topic of my blog post today. This verse has been popping up in my life at least once a week for the past few months. Then today, I woke up when my friend Ashley texted me this verse. After that, I did my devos. Guess what one of the theme verses of the day was? You got it. Philippians 4:6. So, it was then I started to realize that I think God is trying to get a message across to me. 


I have to make a decision about something before tomorrow afternoon, and it is something that I have been stressing quite a bit over. And yet, all I really need to do is give it over to God, and He will show me the way that I am supposed to go. It frustrates me that sometimes this is so difficult to do- My God created the universe, he knows the number of hairs on billions of peoples heads, and yet I can barely trust him to solve a simple problem in my life. I know that it will all work out in the end, I just need to quit stressing and start trusting. Maybe this verse can help you today as well- Stop stressing, and start trusting God. He's got you in his hands. 

Waiting

One of my good friends posted a song on FB today and it has become one of my favorites. It is called Waiting Room by Jonny Diaz. It perfectly describes the spot in my life where I am at right now.

There is a certain situation that I have had to put into God's hands over and over again. I kept saying "I know God is going to reopen the door eventually if I let Him handle it." Well, I eventually realized that God won't reopen doors if you refuse to shut them in the first place. So, recently I shut the door on this situation and I am letting God take over from here. It is hard for me to sit here and be okay with God telling me "no". Or at least, "Not right now." I want this door reopened, and I want it opened now.

We live in a society that is so used to getting what we want when we want it. We don't have to wait for almost anything, and yet sometimes that is how God works- He makes us wait until the timing is right. But in reality- that door in my life may never open again. And I have to learn how to be okay with that. We have to remember that God has such a better plan for us, better than we can even imagine. God has a reason for each and every think that we go through- we just can't see the purpose because of our perspective. We have to trust Him in all things.

So here I wait. Waiting for the door possibly to reopen, or for God to open a new door. I tend to be an impatient person, so this has already been an interesting journey. I don't like waiting, but the hope of God bringing me to something that will help me is worth the wait. No one said it will be easy, but it is worth it, no matter the cost.

Sweet Summertime

Looking back, I still cannot believe a year has gone by since last summer. I cannot believe how far I have come in so many various areas of my life. It is astounding to me. I absolutely loved last summer. I went through some rough stuff, but it was a fantastic summer. I learned a lot, and had a lot of fun with my friends. I am looking forward to the same thing this summer. I can't wait for all my friends to get home so we can catch up and spend time together. I already have spent most of the day outside today, and I just love it. I love my morning bike rides, and just relaxing laying out in the sun listening to my music. Summer is such a great gift from God. It gives us a chance to relax in the warmth and just enjoy the gifts He has given us. One day I will be an adult, and won't have nearly as much time to enjoy it, so I am taking advantage of this time I have now. Have a blessed summer everyone!! <3

Looking back, I am always going to smile :)

It's official- I am no longer a freshman. I am currently sitting at home in my loft bed. It is really strange to think that I'm done until the fall, and I won't be seeing most of my Concordia friends until then. I have learned sooooooooo much this year, it is incredible. And it truly did go by way too fast. For years people have told me that high school will go by fast, and college will fly bye, but I never believed them. Now I do. I am sad to be leaving behind this part of my past, but I am excited for the future. I wanted to share some highlights of the things that I learned this year;

1. God really does take every situation in our lives and use it for something good. Even if it seems nothing good can come out of a situation, God will use it somehow.
2. Trust God's timing and His plan. God knew what he was doing when he put me in Esther Dorm this year. He gave me the environment and people that I would need right when I needed them and for that I am forever thankful.
3. Read your Bible even when you don't want too. Every time I was upset this year, my friend Ashley would tell me to read Psalms. I never wanted to, but it always helps.
4. Never underestimate prayer. It is a powerful thing. Some of my most treasured memories are of times praying with my friends.
5. Don't go into college thinking that you can't have as good of friends in college that you did in high school. I found a few amazing people at Concordia, and while our relationships are different than those with my high school friends, I love my Concordia friends just as much as my high school friends and that was something I never thought could be possible.
6. Don't be afraid to love people even though it hurts. People will leave, and sometimes the pain is unbearable, but it is worth it in the end.
7. You can fit an unbelievable amount of stuff in a dorm room even though there isn't a ton of space.
8. Enjoy the time you have. You are only in college once. So take a break from studying and go play in the rain or go on a midnight slurpee run. Grades on a test will be forgotten, but memories and relationships you build last forever.
9. Don't underestimate music and song lyrics. Some days, that is the only reason I survived.
10. Hold on to every single moment. Give someone a hug and hold them a little longer. Laugh till you cry and cry until you laugh. Dance in the rain, act like your five. Treasure each and every breath that God has given you. There may be a lot of things that are wrong in this life, but it is still the life that God has given us, and we need to treasure it.

I learned so much my freshman year about God, friends, family, school and so much more. College is a great place to be- through the hard times and the good times. Thank you to everyone who helped get me to where I am today, and I look forward to the future.

These are some good times, So take a good look around. You may not know it now, But you're gonna miss this.

I'm going to miss this.

Looking back, there has been a lot of hard things that I have gone on this year. To say the least, it has been an "interesting" Freshman year. For a while there was part of me that could not wait to get this year done and behind me. But looking back now, I have seen that this has probably been one of the best years of my life, and I am going to miss this. I am going to miss being a naive freshman where everything in college is new and there is something different on every new page.

I am going to miss the life I have made here at Concordia. I am going to miss my friends, and my daily routine. I am going to especially miss my dorm. Johnny is going to be fun, but I truly love my Esther girls. I am especially going to miss my RA and SLR. College is going to go by way too fast. Unfortunately I am already well aware of this. I am excited for what the future brings, but I am going to miss this.

It's the week of "Lasts"

Everyone has had moments like this... You realize it is your last friday of high school or your last day to live in a certain place before you move. It is kind of a sad, but exciting feeling. I have been having a lot of "lasts" moments today, and it will be a whole week filled with lasts. Today is my last Sunday on campus as a freshman. It is extremely weird for me to think about, and sad at the same time. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for next fall- just sad that this part of my life is coming to an end.

Tomorrow will be my last Monday, then Tuesday, etc. all throughout the week. Until Friday, when it will be my last night in Esther dorm, and Saturday when I leave. I'm trying not to focus on leaving, and think about more positive things like Tuesday is my last Psychology class!

While I am sad about my freshman year coming to an end, I have to keep in mind that God has got soooo much awesome stuff planned for me the next 3 years at Concordia. A lot of not so great stuff has happened this year, and a lot of awesome stuff has happened as well. But God is going to take all of it and give me something even better in the next few years that will help me to move even farther forward. I might not like it right now, but I know that I will look back and be in such awe with what God has done in my life. It's cool to think about.