I don't feel old enough to be talking about going to college, but I guess I am, so here we are.
Recently I took two college tours with my parents, and we honestly had the best day. We ate lots of good, local food, talked logistics, and laughed so much. I learned about what being a college student will look like, what kind of classes I'll be taking, and what the dorm situation is going to be like, but most importantly, I feel like the Lord has put something on my heart that has really encouraged me.
There's more beyond this.
While the idea of leaving for college and all of the freedom and unknowns that come with that is pretty scary, it's also really exciting. And when I came back home and started praying and reflecting over it, it's as if the Lord was showing me that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. These struggles that I'm facing, the fire I'm walking through, high school - it will all end. And there's so much on the other side that I still have to experience and celebrate and grow in.
Our lives are temporary, and so are the seasons that we're in. It's easy to feel like this part of my life is going to last forever, but it's really not, and instead of grieving that, I'm kind of celebrating it. I'm so grateful that God has blessed me with a future full of endless possibilities, answered prayers, and new relationships. I'm praising Him for whatever He has in store because I have faith that He is going to be right by my side the whole way, and He's going to do beyond what I could ever dream.
I think that the temporary nature of this season is moving me to enjoy it more. I'm soaking up all the little moments of being a high school student, teenage girl, track manager, living under my parents' roof. All of the highs and lows that seem like mountains to me are one day just going to become stories and lessons that I tell my kids one day. My Papa likes to remind me that high school and college are the best years of my life, and even if I feel like I'm stuck or drowning in the moment, I want to embrace it, because he's probably right. (He usually is.) This isn't forever. These feelings will fade. The battle will reach its victory. My diploma will hang on my wall. I'll move into the dorm. I'll meet my person, or make some lifelong best friends. One day, I'll be a mom and a wife, and I'll be actively serving the Lord in ministry. There's so much still to come, so many ways that the Lord is going to move, so many answered prayers.
This isn't forever.
There's more beyond this.
All of it will end one day.
Except for one thing. Jesus.
He IS forever. There's nothing beyond Him. He will never end.
He is my constant, my anchor. And so even when everything feels temporary, and sometimes that feels good and sometimes that feels bad, I know that Jesus will never change. Even when everything feels up in the air and I don't know what to do, Jesus is the one place I can always run. Even when I'm scared and anxious, I find rest and security in my Savior. He grounds me and keeps me rooted.
And so as seasons and people and feelings come and go, Jesus is what remains. He is my steady source of love and peace. He is where I find grace and rest and hope and truth. And even when every part of my life feels like it's changing, He is the one who stands beside me, holding my hand, promising me to lead me through it all.
And He is enough. Because everything comes and goes and everything changes, He is the only thing that I can truly lean on and seek for fulfillment. He is my only source of value and worth. He is the only thing that can ever satisfy the longing of my soul.
That is enough for me.
This season is coming and going, and as I'm looking ahead, I'm excited to see what the Lord is going to do. I'm excited that He has good plans for me beyond the walls of my high school and the home that I've always lived in. I'm excited that the struggles that I'm facing right now will have a finale, a conclusion, an ending, one where He remains on the throne and I get to sit next to Him at the table. I'm grateful that He is the one that I can forever count on, that He is the one who remains, the one who stays, the one who never changes. And so even when right now doesn't feel easy I can praise Him for what He's doing ahead of me and for the fact that He stands right beside me.
As your seasons change, what truth has God taught you that has really stuck with you? What part of His character has He revealed to you? Let me know in the comments below; I love to hear from you!
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