Tonight, I completed my last final, thus completing my first year of college. Except for an annoying online class that I still have to listen and take quizzes on, but we won't talk about that ;). It's amazing to reflect on the growth I've seen in the past two semesters. I took a leap of faith and joined a missions trip, I wrote my first research paper, I left everything familiar to follow God's call to go to college.
This semester was filled with challenges and good times alike. Sometimes I stayed up till 2:30 am finishing a paper, sometimes I was watching a movie with my friends. What do I want do differently next semester? I want get things done earlier! The first week of the semester is the hardest. I wasn't stressed because there was nothing due. But now, I wish I would have taken advantage of that peaceful first week and gotten a lot of work done. That method would have saved a lot stress later in the semester. Next semester, I need to take time throughout the semester to work on projects that are not due until later. One things I've learned this spring is that even though I don't feel like I have time to work on a project due later in the semester, in the long run, I do have time. These are going to be things I want to remember next semester especially, since I plan to add another class onto my school load.
Forgetting about the pains of this semester, I have loved getting to deepen friendships begun last semester. Coming back, it like felt the people on my hall (on-campus students are divided by separate dorm halls) started our friendships right where we left off. I loved getting to deepen my relationships and not have to start over getting to know a lot of people again. When I arrived at college, I had no idea who the people on my hall are. Now I know their voices, the things they like, their personalities. Our hall of girls had our secret sister reveal party this morning. Every one gets to guess at who her secret sister is. A lot of us were able to guess because we knew someone by the cards they made, or the gifts they got. And the gifts were more personalized because we knew more about each other. All of this to say, I loved getting to grow alongside these people I call my hall!
One major thing that totally changed the tone of my semester was something that God showed mercifully showed me early in the semester through A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay Adams: work is a good thing. Man was made for work. God created man with the purpose of taking care of His creation. When I succumb to laziness instead of doing homework, I am not living out my natural purpose. That's why I feel physically tired from doing nothing and don't sleep well that night. I'm not doing what I am supposed to be doing, and feel the physical effects of it. This knowledge freed me feeling like a slave to laziness. It was actually a relief to know that God had created me with a working drive. After God showed me this, I didn't mind staying up later to do homework, and I didn't dread doing homework. Doing homework didn't feel unnatural anymore because I that I was made for work, and would benefit from it physically and spiritually.
Well, I've got to finish packing a cleaning tomorrow morning before I pack up and leave for home, so I'll sign off for now. What are my summer plans? Get a job, hopefully take an online class to keep up my study habits (and graduate in four years), and find ministry opportunities to get involved in. I'll be posting during the summer (if I have things worth writing about. Don't worry reader, I will not bore you with mindless nothings).
Goodnight, and may God's peace of salvation through His Son's precious blood fill enable you to rest in our Savior and Creator. If you have not found this peace, I pray that you will seek Christ's forgiveness at the foot of the cross where He died for the sins of His of people.
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