Hello friends!!
What a few weeks it has been. Honestly, between everything that has been going on at school, trying to finish the guard season strong, going home for spring break (and partaking on all that entails), and support raising in what little time I have, the days have been flying by. I've been going through all the basic college student stuff: screwing up my sleep schedule for no legitimate reason, destroying my body when I actually am awake with a bad diet, and procrastinating doing homework to work on other homework in an academic limbo. I've reached the point in the semester where its hard to feel motivated to do anything, and where my spiritual walk and personal time with Jesus swiftly gets moved to the bottom of my priority list.
This confession of the state of my spiritual life unfortunately isn't accompanied with an emotional tale of my journey to a spiritual high, such as what would be depicted through an inspirational montage in a feel good romantic comedy, right before the new and improved main character wins the guy of her dreams and walks into the sunset (yet). I say this because this is all part of life, and part of the process of building a team of ministry partners (@ you, blog post reader) is being honest with my struggles and letting you know exactly how to pray for me.
If you know me at all, you know that I have no problem with being brutally honest about myself, even if it doesn't shed the most flattering light on my life, but here's the thing, I'm not made to be perfect. My life isn't a perfectly aesthetic contemplation of Instagram posts, depicting a life out of dream, nor would I ever want it to be. In a direct comparison, my spiritual life isn't supposed to be picture perfect. Christianity is hard, and nothing about trying to live a life like the one Jesus called us to live is exactly simple and effortless. When I got on my knees and offered my everything to the God who created the heavens and Earth, who created me in the palm of his hand, who sent his only Son to suffer on a cross for my salvation, I wasn't doing it because I had it all figured out. I did it, time after time, because I was a hopeless mess who craved the love of my Savior.
Jesus didn't come to the Earth because he thought it'd be fun. He came to get his hands dirty. The Son of the Living God came down to Earth, filled with dirty sinners, for me and you.
In my opinion, one's walk with the Lord isn't designed to be lonely. You need a family of believers, holding your hand and keeping you straight on your walk. If you're reading this, you hopefully care about me enough to know whats going on in my life, and pray for me and hold me accountable. I strive every day to be the best Christian I can, but I also fail every day. I stumble and stray and sin, no matter what, but you know what? That's okay. If we were not imperfect humans, Jesus wouldn't have come down to get his hands dirty for us. Thank God for redemption, never ending love, and undeserved forgiveness.
In conclusion, I just need to keep my chin up. Every day, I'm closer to the summer of my dreams. Every day, I have the opportunity to meet a new, beautiful human on my beautiful campus. Every day I'm presented with an abundance of blessings and ways to be a light unto this Earth. I get to pray for my future team, and I get to pray for the funding of both my support goal but theirs as well. I get to pray for the reason I was so called to this exact mission, the reason why God led me to Hampton Beach specifically, and the people he will have me cross paths with on this journey. I get too pray for all of you, that he blesses all of my wonderful friends, family, brothers and sisters in Christ as they support me on this leap of faith. And I pray for myself, that I work in people, and use his gifts for his glory. May I never miss an opportunity to pour into someones spirit, connect with another person, or simply radiate joy the way I was made to just because I let the world get my spirit down. I am the daughter of the King. If he is for me, who could be against me?
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
Humbly, SB
