Hi, all!

Wow wow wow.

I have thought about starting a blog so many times before today. God gave me a love for words at a young age and ever since then I’ve believed that words have so much potential to impact, strengthen, encourage, and challenge. I love loving my friends and family with words. I love writing just-because notes. I love thank-you cards and birthday cards and sympathy cards and everything in-between. I love (oops) writing essays for class.

But! Aside from all of these, my favorite words are those found in the Bible; that is, the words that I believe to be complete truth, lasting hope, and the most important words anyone could ever study and know. The words of God are life-giving and life-changing.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

God gave me the opportunity to study these marvelous words for an entire school year after I graduated high school in the spring of 2014. I originally planned to attend Iowa State University in the fall of 2014, but a few months before I graduated God took my plans into His palm, formed them into what He knew to be best, and beckoned me to follow after Him with a willing heart. His plan is so perfect and I am incredibly thankful that He decided to intervene when He did. Because of His loving persistence, I spent my year at Emmaus Bible College delving into truth and meeting godly men and women who desire to live out what the Bible says in every aspect of their lives.

This blog is, in a way, a result of my leaving Emmaus.

Bible college is awesome because almost everyone around you is just as excited about God and His work as you are. The student body upholds biblical standards in daily life and encourages peers in their faith. Yes, there is plenty of schoolwork to be done, but you also kind of feel like you’re at a really long week of Bible camp. In the best way possible, of course. Being inside this “bubble” is so beneficial because you are saturated in God’s Word daily and grow a ton in a short amount of time. It’s also cool because a regular college student is consumed with math, science, literature, etc. but a Bible college student gets to be consumed with studying the most important book ever written.

I had a great time this year and learned a ton about myself and my Savior. My heart is singing praises while I type this as I remember how faithful and kind God was to give me this experience. However, His faithfulness and kindness are now leading me back toward Iowa State for the fall of 2015.

He has reawakened an interest in medicine that I kindly put to bed during my freshman year of high school because I looked at how many years I would spend in college and how much time I would have to put into learning and practicing and training and wondered if I would ever have time to be married or have a family or if I was even smart or determined enough to be a doctor and got a little, well… overwhelmed.

Thankfully, my awesome dad (dads know everything) told me that I could be a Physician Assistant while we were sitting at my grandma’s house last Christmas waiting to open presents. PA school is, typically, only two years of training after completing a four-year degree and has a more flexible schedule once you have a real job. Or so I hear, I guess I’ll find out as I go. I was thrilled to learn that such a job existed, and after many nights of prayer I believe God called me to trust and follow Him as He stirred things up again. So, I am excited to follow His perfect plan again this fall.

At ISU.

Majoring in Kinesiology.

Living in a cute apartment with my best friend and two sweet girls she met this year. Please just look at how cute they are.

Closer to my wonderful boyfriend and my crazy family.

There is SO MUCH GOOD to be excited for. My heart could honestly burst open because I don’t deserve this awesome life.

But I’m also so so nervous. And I could list all of my big and small worries, but I know that would not benefit me or any person reading this. Instead, let me elaborate on what I hinted at earlier regarding what this blog is.

When I look at the changes and worries and my entire life in general, God reminds me that no matter what happens next, my primary concern should always be following Christ’s greatest commandment.

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'”

Matthew 22: 37-40 ESV

Love God. Love others. In other words, God is not concerned with whether or not I get awesome grades, make tons of new friends, join activities, or if I even become a PA in the end of it all. He is, however, concerned with what kind of student, daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, and roommate I am as I continue to walk with Jesus daily. I am no longer conveniently inside the Bible college “bubble” where I can pretend that everyone in the world is just as excited to live out the above verses as I am. I have an important job to do with every hat I wear, and that is to represent God well by loving Him above all else and loving others more than myself.

I will never be able to do this perfectly. Jesus was, is, and forever will be the only one who fulfilled this command completely. I can’t do this on my own. I plan on sticking close to His side and leaning on Him for support, and I am so grateful that He will take whatever I throw His way with lovingkindness.

I hope to record what I learn along the way here. Maybe once a week. Maybe only once every few months, we’ll see. I process best outside of my head, either speaking or in writing, so I hope to learn more as I type. I also hope to encourage those who are striving to live out the same command I am.

Above all, I pray God will be glorified through my thoughts, words, and intentions.

Hugs and prayers to all.