Then and Now

This week I am thankful that I survived my first semester of college and I am now able to enjoy Christmas break!  It has been a journey and not always an easy one.  Life threw me for quite a few loops and turns this past semester, but with the Lord’s help I overcame every obstacle. 

I could go on and on about all the things I am thankful for, but what I am thankful for the most is that the Lord made it clear to me that He is active in my life.  Never before have I seen His hand on my life in such a distinct way.  Never before have I felt His presence in every situation that I encountered.  Never before have I been able to so clearly tell that He is working through every moment, but I am thankful to be able to say that I now have.  I have always known that He is there for me, but this is the first time in my life that I can say that I felt Him in the moment without noticing afterwards that He was there.  My heart is overwhelmed with joy.  So very thankful.     

One Slice of the Pizza

As I take a break from studying for finals, I am thankful to know that the end is near.  In three days I will be home for Christmas break and my first semester of college will be over.  The first of eight semesters in my college career is almost over.  I have eaten one slice of the pizza (8 slices in a pizza, 8 semesters in college, get it?)  It has just been a few months, but so much has happened.  I am thankful to have gone through everything I have this semester because each situation and experience has formed and changed me.

I have learned to embrace the things that I like about myself and be proactive in areas that I don’t like so much and can change.  I have learned that God will always place the right people in my life.  He has given me people who I know are forever friends.  People who embrace my silliness.  People who love to laugh with me and sometimes probably at me.  He has given me people that I look up to and aspire to be like.  People who I know are in my corner and will support me when adversity comes my way.  I have learned that I love learning.  In high school I hated anything having to do with learning, but in college I have been able to see the value in digging deeper into life and all it has to offer.     

In one semester I have grown in a million ways.  In one semester I have been blessed with so many new opportunities.  In one semester I have seen God working in my life in more ways than I ever have before.  And for that I am thankful.

Shout out to Ali Swank for helping me get through this semester (mostly finals) with her blog on coping skills! 

Chances

This week I am thankful for chances.

Have you ever done something that you were really nervous to do?  There was a 50/50 chance that the outcome would not be in your favor, but you knew that you if you let the opportunity pass and didn’t take advantage of it you would eventually come to regret not making that move.  You knew that if things did end up working in your favor, it would be so amazing and you’d be so thankful that you sucked it up and took the chance.

Recently, I experienced a situation like this.  I tend to be a shy person, but I put myself out there.  I took a chance. I took matters into my own hands.  I’m still in the process of trying to figure out whether or not it will be worth it, but I do know one thing – I am glad I took the chance.  I am thankful that I had a chance to do something that I never would have done.  I’m thankful that I am given thousands of chances.  I have been given the ability to take chances that could possibly change the course of my life for the better, especially at this point in my life. Some chances I will know the outcome of soon, some I won’t find out the outcome for years to come.  Either way, I am thankful.

Almost Half Way There

            My to-do list is long, it doesn’t seem like there is enough time in the day to get everything done, the gloom of upcoming finals is looming over my head, and I’m tired all the time, but that must mean one thing – the holidays are drawing near!  This week I am thankful because I can see the Christmas lights at the end of the tunnel... just a few classes and papers stand in the way of me stuffing my face with mashed potatoes!  I’m thankful because I have made it half way through my freshman year, and soon I get some time off to recover from and celebrate that.  Figuring out college has been a weird and cool experience, but I’m surprised to say that I think I kind of have the hang of it.  I’m thankful for what I have learned and what I will learn.  I’m thankful for the people I’ve met and the people that I will meet. I’m thankful for the fun I’ve had, and the fun that is yet to come.  I’m thankful.

He Sees Me

Honestly, this week I am finding it hard to come up with something to be thankful for.  I can’t seem to catch a break lately.  Life seems to have a lot more downs than ups, but this is the very reason that I came up with the idea to think about something I am thankful for weekly.  To show me that no matter how yucky life might seem to be, there is still something to be thankful for even if it’s super small.  So let me tell you a story of my experience registering for classes…

            This past week all the students at Eastern started to register for their spring 2016 semester of classes.  Everyone was in a buzz asking which professors are best for what classes and dreading the fact that an 8am class may end up on their schedule.  The student accounts office had students swarming in trying to pay their overdue bills so that holds would be lifted on their accounts so they could register.   I managed to make sure everything was fine with my account at the beginning of the semester and assumed I would have no trouble registering.  I met with my advisors and we planned out the next four years so that I would know what classes I would need for the spring.  Although things weren’t working out in other areas of my life, this was one thing that I was pretty confident would work out with little to know problems.  That is until the night before registry opened up and I was informed that something happened with my high school transcripts.  A hold was placed on my account and I wouldn’t be able to register until it was sorted out.  Unfortunately, I found this out late at night.  In a panic I called my mother hoping she would have a solution, only to be told that there was nothing we could do until morning since all offices were closed.  All night I was anxious that my classes would fill up and I wouldn’t be able to take any of my required classes for the semester. 

The next morning I was at work and unable to contact anyone about my situation.  As I kept an eye on the webpage for registering, I saw the number of seats left in the classes I needed decrease at a steady pace.  Thankfully, I have the best mom ever because at home she was calling people left and right trying to work out a way to have the hold lifted so I could register for my classes.  She eventually managed to convince someone to lift the hold so that I could register, but by that time one of the classes that I was desperate for filled up before I could click the little “register” button.  That was it… just another crappy problem to add to my ever growing list of problems to solve.  Since that class was the only one that worked in my schedule, my only option was to contact the professor and ask him if he could make an exception and allow me into his class.  As I was about to email him to beg him to let me in, I decided that I’d check online to see if I had any other possible options.  As I clicked back to my schedule to look at the class again, what do I see?  The exact class I needed now had one seat open!  I quickly clicked the register button on the course before I even had time to think about it!   In the end everything worked out and my spring 2016 schedule is all set! 

You may be wondering why in the world I decided to share this story with you, so I will now let you know.  This may sound silly, but I believe that this was a “God moment.”  In the midst of the chaos and stress, God saw that I needed a break and He gave it to me.  Now I know that this is not a huge problem and people deal with far worse things than this.  I would have been fine no matter the outcome, but I believe that this was a specific moment that God wanted to show me that He sees me.  He knows what I’m dealing with, and He is capable of helping me through it.  This week I am thankful for a God who has put people in my life to help me through those weeks when I’m having difficulty finding something to be thankful for.  This week I am thankful for a God who is not far from me, even when I feel like He is.  This week I am thankful for a God who knows me.  This week I am thankful for a God who sees me. 

“He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls

And He hears me when I call”

The Fall Blog

This week is going to be a little more light-hearted because this week I want to share with you about how I am thankful for fall!  I just love absolutely everything about this time of the year.  If there was a country that could have autumn all year round, I would live there.  I love the weather – not too hot, but not too cold!  I love the colors – thousands of beautiful leafy trees!  I love the smells – pumpkin spice and bonfires!  I love the clothes – comfy scarves and boots!  I love the holidays – boat loads of chocolate on Halloween and tons of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving!!

If I am feeling down I can take a brisk walk in the crunchy leaves as I breathe in the crisp air and my worries slip away.  If I am getting stressed by school, I can remind myself that I just have to make it through a few more weeks until my Thanksgiving break when my biggest concern will be how much stuffing I can fit in my mouth at one time!  If you couldn't tell, fall is definitely my favorite season and I’m super thankful that I get to experience it for a few months each year!

What are you thankful for this week?  Feel free to share in the comments below! :) 

I’m so fortunate to live at a school that is absolutely gorgeous during this season!  Here is a picture that I took last week on campus… so pretty!! 

Taken on October 25, 2015 by Emily Pastin
Eastern University Campus

Not Our Home

            Ever have one of those weeks that seems like you can't catch a break?  Well this was one of those weeks for me, so it’s been difficult to try and think of something to be thankful for.  As I’ve been thinking through all the bad stuff that has happened this week, I’ve learned that I am thankful that this is not our home.  No matter what I go through on this planet, I am promised that one day I will live in a place that my Father has prepared for me.  A place that does not have bad days.  A place where everything that has gone wrong on this earth will be made right again. 

Although I am not promised a perfect life, I am promised a perfect eternity.  I am thankful for this because through the bad times, I can remind myself that nothing on this earth matters as much as it seems to.  This idea can be pretty depressing or relieving depending on which perspective you use to look at it.  I don’t mean this to say that nothing matters on this earth so we shouldn't care about anything, I just mean that if we serve the Creator we don’t need to worry about creation.  In other words, if we give our lives to the One who is God over everything, as long as we press into Him, we can rest in the fact that He will work this life out for us until He takes us home to the perfect place He has prepared for us.  

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

What are you thankful for this week?  Feel free to share in the comments below!