Change is in the air

Change is always happening; no two days are alike and each one presents a whole new adventure waiting to happen. You are different than you were yesterday and tomorrow you will be different than you are today. We are shaped by our experiences, each of which influences us in some way.

Sometimes change is slow and sometimes it happens like a light switch.

Right now I'm experiencing the latter.

I'm taking a break from cleaning and organizing my room at home. I've unpacked all my boxes from college and am figuring out how to make everything I have acquired from countless adventures and journeys fit into this room.

In the midst of tossing out a whole lot of junk and a whole lot of things I don't use anymore, I'm also trying to figure out how to settle into this new chapter God is writing in the book of my life. Transition and change is tough, I'm going to miss living in Murray and being so close to the people who have become my best friends. I'm going to miss walking across campus every day and seeing handfuls of people I know every time I walk out my door. I'm going to miss my desk and office at The Murray State News and being less than a five minute walk to the stadium and CFSB Center. I'm going to miss Campus Outreach and classrooms and making new friends every day. I'm going to miss lunch dates and coffee dates and driving around Murray with the windows down and music blaring and ending up at Hucks to get a fountain drink with the six floor girls. I'm going to miss D-Group and Bible Studies and being within walking distance of more than 100 people I love like my own family. 

But in the midst of the sadness, excitement is bubbling within my heart.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt God wants me in Paducah and I am more than pumped to begin serving Him and joining the work He is doing in my hometown and in my home church. It never ceases to amaze me that God allows us to join Him in His redemptive plan of wrapping His arms around the nations and extending the very love and grace He has shown us to everyone around us. What a fantastic privilege. 

One of my best friends reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Elisabeth Elliot this week as I tearfully processed saying goodbye to the body of believers in Murray. In this quote Elisabeth is talking about singleness but it can be applied to every situation in life.

"Single life may be only a stage of life's journey, but even a stage is a gift. God may replace it with another gift, but the receiver accepts His gifts with thanksgiving. This gift for this day. The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it is to be lived - not always looked forward to as though the "real" living were around the next corner. It is for today we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow." - Elisabeth Elliot, Let me be a Woman

Despite the changes happening all around me, I know this: God isn't changing. He is still the same. He is the unwavering, unshakable, unmoving Rock that will never alter even if our circumstances do. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and knows all the plans that are ahead of us, plans to shape us into His Son's image and ultimately bring Himself glory (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28).

The joy that is breaking through the sadness of leaving Murray is something only found at the cross and I am so thankful God continues to lead His children there time and time again so that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need. The cross never loses its power and God never tires of reminding us of that. What a sweet Father we have.

I'm ridiculously blessed. There is no way I could "count every blessing" as the song says to do, there are too many. His blessings are too great. But I will say that God has allowed this finals week, this final week living in Murray to be savored and enjoyed and one of the greatest weeks of my college experience.

Things I will always remember from this week:

Midnight breakfasts at Mary's Kitchen, listening to Cody and Kathy play piano, studying with Anna. Dinners with the six floor girls, all the power outages that happened while I was showering, late nights and early mornings spent making memories with the family. Sleepovers with Mitch, movie nights in my room and more laughter than I could ever dream up.

God is so good to give us these added benefits and pleasures even after giving us Himself. I am so humbled and thankful for these moments and the way He has worked in my heart and life through my time at Murray State. Because God promises to bring all of His children to completion, I know He is going to continue His work on me and I cannot wait to see what is going to happen as He continues to write my story.

God, You really are the best Author. Thank You for giving us Your Son and Your Word and for having a specific and unique story for each of us. May we trust you with the pen as you write this chapter and more to our stories. May we cultivate our hearts to fear You and grow our faith that it may be said of us as it was of Abraham, "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised (Romans 4:20-21)." Use us, Lord, to make Your name famous. Consume us with a fiery passion for You that infiltrates every part of our lives. Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory. Here is my pen, God. May I fall in love with You more and more in this chapter of life and in all the ones to come. Amen.