Getting Rooted

Life requires Community & I found mine at Church.

As I’m starting to say my goodbyes in Wilmington, I’ve been reflecting on how blessed I am to have found multiple communities of people to support & encourage me. But the one I am so grateful for most recently is the one I found at Life Community Church. From the day I walked into “the church in the mall” searching for a place of worship to begin attending my senior year, I genuinely felt right at home. Since then I’ve grown to love the people, the praise, and the powerful delivery of countless encouraging messages from our pastor and the leadership team. Even though I’m slightly nervous to have to find a new church home, I’ll always remember how God showed up right when I needed Him to by bringing me into Life CC. I know He’ll do it again in Colorado!

Becoming an active part of my church helped my relationship with the Lord grow immeasurably more than I probably even realize. First, I started attending the early service every week. It didn’t take too long before I desired to get more involved (based on how happy it made me every Sunday) through becoming a part of the young adult ministry, serving in the children’s ministry during second service, and eventually beginning to give my weekly tithes. I could write an individual blog post about how each of these things has allowed God to blow me away, especially since I had gone so long without them in my life. I was so unaware of the joy I was missing out on, until I realized that the community I’d made at the church had given me so much of it.

But at the end of the day, no matter how involved you are at church, our salvation is not measured by our good deeds and participation. Because of Jesus, we have been set free from any kind of rule book in order to be in personal relationship with God. So while being part of a church community is a crucial aspect of nourishing that relationship, it doesn’t change how much God loves us already. Having been able to “get rooted” is the most valuable thing I’ve gained from becoming an active member of the church. When something is rooted, it is attached to something else which supports its growth by providing nourishment. That is exactly what I’ve gained from Life CC, and I can’t wait to see the long-term harvest to be reaped after getting to do this all over again.

Catch Amy & I church searching in Colorado Springs!!

Going All In For Jesus

Toward the end of last year my life changed in a significant way. My heart was broken and I had no idea what else to do but turn to Jesus. I’ve always been a Christian and grew up in the church, however I’ve never experienced the true peace that comes with a relationship with God until this time in my life. I can’t even describe the way the Lord surrounded me in His love as I spent countless days & nights feeling confused & defeated, trying to figure out what went wrong, looking back on the past. That’s not to say that I don’t do those things anymore, because I definitely do. But what’s different is that I don’t let those things have a stronghold over my life, because the truths I’ve learned about God & His faithfulness prove to have much greater power.

During this hardship I began to look to Jesus in everything I did. Because if I’m perfectly honest, there were times where I was hurting so badly that I didn’t know how I could get out of bed without laying all of my pain at His feet, trusting Him to get me through each day one at a time. I so clearly remember waking up in one my best friends’ bed the first morning after my world was flipped upside down (not to be dramatic, but this is actually how it felt) and having the first thing I saw be a sign in her room that read “Be Strong & Courageous.” In that moment of re-realization of what had just happened, where I truly thought I would be an emotional, unstable wreck– simply seeing that sign somehow put all of the strength & courage imaginable inside of me. The peace I felt in that moment I still cannot put into words, no matter how many times I’ve tried to explain it to friends. The only way I know how to describe it is that God was in that room with me, His presence fully encompassing me, ready to take me on a journey to know His heart.

Shortly before all of this happened but even more so after, I began to do devotionals on YouVersion (the Bible app, 10/10 recommend to anyone at all stages of faith), read my Bible daily, pray consistently, attend & serve at church, and surround myself with a godly community of friends. Along with some of these practices came an awareness of my sins & shortcomings, as well as the natural desire to surrender some bad habits. Every day since that time I have seen the Love & Hope of Jesus in new ways, heard His voice clearer than ever before, & grown to know that I am infinitely loved by the Lord. The best part is, He loved me no less when I lived my life paying no mind to Him than He does where I am today. He orchestrated all of my steps so that one day, I would make the decision to go all in for Him after He relentlessly pursued me through my seasons of dismissal. Because of the never-changing grace He’s shown me, I can’t help but want to share that with as many people as possible so that they know how easy it is to experience a peace greater than you can even imagine. All you have to do is say yes to Him.

Today in church we looked at Philippians 2:9 and talked about how God exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above all names. Without realizing it, this principle is what I’ve been growing to learn over these months of transformation.

The name of Jesus is above the name of heartbreak.

The name of Jesus is above the name of loneliness.

The name of Jesus is above the name of anxiety.

The name of Jesus is above the name of whatever individual battle you are facing, and He wants to be in relationship with you so that He can give you peace that surpasses all understanding.

When there’s two days of class left in your college career, you start a blog…

So this is something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time, but last week while at my church’s annual women’s conference “Flourish,” I felt prompted by God to put the urge into action. He emphasized to me the word SHARE, which is what I’m aiming to do in a simple way through this blog. I’ve always loved writing & chronicling my life in various ways (poetry, photography, etc.) so it’s only natural that at the beginning & end of two huge life events I have coming up, it’s the perfect time to start writing about my journey.

Even though I’m technically not graduating until after my summer internship is over, I’m participating in a “Celebration of Achievement Ceremony” at which I will get to walk the stage in cap & gown in recognition of completing all of my university classes. Since two of my best friends are also graduating, we of course had to spend a night decorating our caps. Despite the anxiety this caused my perfectionist self, we got it done with a little help from one another. I am so going to miss these nights together, hanging out at the apartment with our kitties running around, getting into everything. It’s moments like these where I thank God that He has placed me exactly where I am, with purpose, planned out long before I even knew who these beautiful friends of mine were.

I’m still not sure if it has really hit me that I’m leaving this lovely town in just a couple short weeks, or that a little over a month from now I’ll be (physically) leaving life as I know it behind me, and starting a brand new chapter 1,777 miles away. But as I’m reflecting on where I was in life three years ago, a new high school graduate, I realize that I’m an entirely different person than I was then, in the best way. I would have never pictured myself in a place like the one I’m about to move to–and I certainly couldn’t have predicted that I would find myself in an authentic, cherishable, and fulfilling relationship with the Lord. He has not only filled my heart with new desires & dreams bigger than I could’ve imagined on my own, but He’s moved mountains on my behalf. And that’s why through this unpredictable next phase in my life, I can’t even help but continue to keep my faith in Him.