Hopefully this will teach me to just be more consistent. Probably....not.
I was hoping that maybe I would be able to share the overall themes of what I feel like 2009 has taught me. We'll see where this ends up!
If I had to name one word that I've learned the most about this year it would be settling. I think I wrote a while back about how seeing other people settle for less than God has for them was so upsetting to me, but this year God has been showing me how I can settle in my own life in so many different ways.
This year has been full of super fun, happy, fulfilling moments for sure, but there has been an underlying sense of knowing that there can be more. Remembering to be satisfied with life and appreciate all that God has blessed me with but also to never ever stop pursuing Him with fervor and seeking to go deeper in all areas of life. I've learned to go deeper in my friendship and actually live out loving people with words and actions. I've begun the journey of living for the Lord first and letting other people's dreams/opinions of who I should be fall below the most important dreams my Jesus has for me.
At Wesley, we worked through a four week series titled "Stripped" that totally turned me upside down in good, but sometimes painful ways. The series was based on really letting Jesus pull the layers off our hearts and get us to a place where he could put the broken pieces of our lives back together. I asked God to speak into issues of my life (past and present) that I needed to finally face and work through, instead of just walking under or over them. Boy, did He answer that prayer. I am nowhere near finished, but it's been an exciting and exhausting process of discovering healthy and not so healthy patterns that I have developed and figuring out how to work through those not so good ones. Good times! It may not always be a fun thing to do, but believe me when I say, it's so beyond worth it with the help of our gentle Savior.
All in all, it's been a whirlwind of a year with all sorts of changes and fun adventures. If I had to name a few that have been particularly exciting they would be....
- Living in TN! Man oh man, this summer was so incredibly crazy! I've always loved the artists at Inpop Records and thought of how cool it would be to work there. I remember freaking out and thinking how awesome it would be to get an internship there after receiving an email a couple of years ago from Shara about different opportunities. Low and behold, that's exactly what happened this past summer! The three months I spent there involved lots of awesome concerts, sending oodles of packages, getting to meet some artists that have been inspirations to me over my lifetime, lots of time doing databases on the computer, adventures with my roommate and precious friend Breezy, building friendships with others in my church and small group (miss you, Britt), and an incredible experience of truly living on my own pretty far from home. I will always cherish the time I was able to spend in Franklin and am so thankful for the opportunity.
- A major change in college! After interning at Inpop Records, I realized that working in the music industry may not be the best long-term deal for me. I still absolutely love it and want to work in it for a period of time, but discovered that a degree in the field is not necessary to accomplish those goals. So now...dun dun dun...I'm majoring in Elementary Education! After much prayer and consideration, I feel like education is where my gifts can be best used and that this is where God wants me. I'm trading my dreams for the better, bigger ones of the One who knows so much more than me. Sure to be an adventure!
- Roommate adventures. Living with people who I didn't always see eye to eye with (but still enjoyed spending time with for the most part) was such a great experience. I have such a problem with avoiding conflict and wanting people to like me. I am the absolute perfect example of a people-pleaser. This past semester has forced me to face my fear of not being accepted by everyone. Jesus is slowly teaching me that I am who I am and that most importantly, He designed me just the way he wanted me. It's totally okay if not everyone appreciates that, because the One who matters most (and a wonderful group of friends) does.
Wow....that was obnoxiously long. If any of you troopers made it through that whole thing, you deserve a ribbon. Or a hug, or something. Love you guys, and praying for a wonderful end to the 2009 and a fantastic 2010!
-Brit
