Christmas Blessings From A Joyful Girl

Wowza. What a ride. The last time I wrote a blog post I was just one day away from hopping in the car and leaving home for my first week of college. Now, after four insane months of writing countless papers, reading some pretty phenomenal literature, discerning a major course of study, and discovering my newfound "kindred spirits", I am back home sitting in front of our family Christmas tree... reflecting on the many blessings and challenges of this past semester.

My first semester of college was indeed very blessed, but it most certainly had its challenges. Packing up all of my personal possessions and moving 8.5 hours away from home was far from easy. Those first few months were filled with homesickness, loneliness, and the struggle to adjust to my new surroundings. I have to admit that learning to do this whole "adult" thing and live independently from my parents has been much harder than I expected. I don't think I ever truly realized how much my parents do to keep our household running... Grocery shopping, washing dishes, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and working a full-time job (in my case, being a full-time student) is A LOT of work!!! Suffice to say, I have become a much more grateful daughter and house guest!

Another thing I took for granted prior to leaving for college was my church family. Once that first Sunday away from home rolled around, I quickly realized that finding a church to meet my spiritual needs would not be easy. Although many of the churches I visited had excellent worship opportunities, I struggled to form connections within the congregation and started to feel like an outsider every time I came to worship. Fortunately, I have since found a wonderful church near campus that is very welcoming, offering me both spiritual fulfillment and the blessing of a church community.

But rough stuff aside, my first semester of college has been a tremendous gift and I thank God every day for the rich blessings He has bestowed during these past four months of learning and growing. Here are just a few of the things I am grateful for this Christmas:

1. An amazing roommate and soul sister all rolled into one: After hearing countless horror stories about roommate situations gone wrong, I must admit that I was a little worried about the whole roommate matching process. Fortunately, my college is very intentional about pairing people together who have similar interests, values, and living habits. As a result (and with a little help from God), I am blessed enough to room with an incredibly beautiful and kind-hearted young woman who has a deep love for Christ. Together we enjoy weekly study dates at the local coffee shop, late-night chats in the dorm room, and watching LOTS of period dramas and Hallmark movies. :)

2. Classes that engage my mind and open my eyes to the greater world: This semester I had the opportunity to take one of the most fascinating English courses of my educational career. The course focused on the influence of Christianity on modern literature. Our class analyzed novels by both religious and secular authors, discussing the ways in which each author imagined God and how their views could influence our own imaginings of God. There were several novels that challenged me to step outside of my "reading bubble" and engage with more difficult subject matter, but each and every novel had a profound impact on the way I view my brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe.

3. New experiences that bring me out of my comfort zone: In September I auditioned for an improvisational theatre troupe on campus. For those of you unfamiliar with improv, improv is a form of theatre that is made up on the spot without rehearsal beforehand. One of the shows we do involves acting out a variety of unscripted scenes. We will ask the audience to give us a word to start off with, such as "apple" or "success", and then we create a scene that has something to do with that word. The results are pretty hilarious! Although this was not an activity I had expected to be involved in, I absolutely LOVE the friendships I have made among the members of our troupe and I LOVE the spontaneity of throwing together a scene for the amusement of an audience.

4. Spiritual growth with other sisters in Christ: I am fortunate enough to live in a dorm that houses nearly 200 faithful young women who share my love for Christ. I am even more fortunate to be able to meet with a small group of them one night a week to share prayer requests, read the Bible, and talk about our individual joys and struggles. I love that I can share something as intimate and vulnerable as my faith with other young women and I am learning so much from living in community with them!

5. The blessing of health and well-being: I recently shared on Facebook that my senior year of high school was a tremendously difficult one, filled with health issues, doctor's appointments, and an exhausting search for answers. For a while, I was not sure if I could go to college this semester... A prospect which absolutely would have broken my heart. Today I am pleased to announce that I am the happiest and healthiest I have been in a long time. With the love and support of my family, friends, mentors, and countless doctors and therapists, I was able to discover the path to health and wholeness... The very best Christmas gift this girl could ever ask for. I am so grateful that God answered my prayers and carried me through my suffering to this joyful moment in life.

It is my hope that each and every one of you have a very blessed Christmas with friends and family and that you each may know the joy of the Christ Child today and every day. I am looking forward to journeying with you in 2017!

#college #community #blessings #joy #gratefulheart