About two weeks ago I got to go home for fall break (through it wasn't much of a break because I had a huge paper to write...but anyways! :) ). It was so nice to be home and to see my family again. And of course being able to pet my cats and dog :) Fall break really represented the end of my first quad at the University of Northwestern - St. Paul. One fourth of my first year at NW was done. Have I learned anything is the two+ months that I've been here? Of course!! What did I learn? Well, let me tell you :)
The first thing that God taught me is that even though my surroundings change, He never does. When I first came here I was in a whole new area. Not only was I with new people, having new responsibilities, doing new things, and in a whole different world, but I didn't have my family near by. Sure I could call and FaceTime them, but that isn't the same as talking to them in person. I used to talk to my parents and brother about my whole day. Every detail. So it was weird not being able to do that everyday. Even though I had tons of encouraging people around me, it wasn't the same as having my family there. So what did I do? Well, let me tell you what I didn't do! I didn't turn to the One who is always there. Going to college really opened my eyes that I really did rely on my friends and family a lot more than I thought. Not that that is a bad thing!! Having close relationships with your family and having close friends is not bad, but we need to remember that (as much as we want them too) we won't always have those people around us. So we need to make sure that our relationship with God is strong even when we are with those closest to us. God will always be there. I had to re-learn that, and I had to really believe it, and I had to practice it!
The second thing that I learned was that God gives us loves and interests for a reason. As one of my favorite Pinterest (Yes, I am addicted to Pinterest....*sheepish smile*) pins says: "The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling." I always loved to write but I never thought that I would be able to turn that into a career. I am still confused how God is going to use me as a writer. I want to use my writing as a ministry. To write things that cause people to think...and to ultimately draw closer to God because of what they read. But I also need to make a living. How can I do both? Well, let me tell ya!!......I have no idea. Fortunately God does. Yes that is easier said than truly believed... I have no clue what God has in store for me for a career or even for a ministry. All I know is that God called me to NW for a reason and to get my writing degree for a reason. The rest I will just have to let Him handle.
The next thing I learned was that God opens and closes doors for a reason. At the beginning of the semester I had tried out for this touring theatre production. I thought I had a really good chance! My audition went great and I was excited to see what happened! Well...I wasn't as excited when I saw the cast list and I didn't see my name on there...I was not very happy. I tried to look on the bright side of things and see what God had in store instead. And honestly, I'm very happy I didn't get in. Because I didn't get in I got to work in the costume shop (shout out to Carmen!! ;) ) and I got to do run crew/backstage stuff for the production Oliver! If I had gotten in to that touring theatre I wouldn't of been able to do any of that. I have made so many good memories working in the costume shop, helping backstage with Oliver! and meeting all the amazing people that are involved with the theatre department here at NW. God definitely closed that one door for a reason, but just because He knew that He was going to open up a better one for me later.
The last thing (definitely not the last thing I have learned, but the last one I'm going to talk about :) ) that God taught me is about prayer. What would happen if you were talking to a friend and all you did was say stuff like, "I need your help with this paper! I'm freaking out over this interview. I really need you to do this for me. Why didn't you help me with that?..." What would your friend do if you talked to them like this? Slap you? Maybe! lol Seriously though, why do we talk to our friends with respect, tell them about our day (the good and bad), ask for their advice, listen to them, and be honest with them but we don't do that with God? We just ask for things. In one of my books for school, The Me I Want To Be by John Ortberg, there is a chapter that talks about prayer. One part that stood out to me says "The goal of prayer is not to get good at praying, as many people think. The goal of prayer is not to try to set new records for how much time we spend praying. The goal of prayer is to live all of my life and speak all of my words in the joyful awareness of the presence of God." God wants to know about our day, He wants us to always be in the mindset of prayer, God wants us to come to Him first, God wants us to listen to Him as well... So through many things God has been teaching me how to pray. And not just pray, but pray openly and honestly with Him.
There are so many other things that I have learned, but if I took the time to write them all you would probably get bored with reading them :) I hope these things encourage you in your walk with God and I hope that you are always open to learning new things, because God always has something new to teach us.
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