Today, I moved back onto Grand Canyon University's campus for my junior year. As I walked across campus to go grab lunch with my roommate and some new people I had just met, I couldn't help but reflect upon how different this move-in was from my move-in freshman year. I remembered very vividly feeling terrified at the thought of living in a new place, concerned about the whole prospect of starting college, and terribly homesick at the thought of leaving my family, the people I love more than anything in the world. I also thought back to how hard I cried that entire day.

I'm an extremely emotional person, so it's really no surprise that I would spend such a stressful day in tears. My parents kept assuring me I was going to be okay, I could always call if I ever needed them, and that once the stress of the first few days blew over, I was going to forget all about how emotionally taxing this first day was, and I would have the time of my life at college.

However, in those first few days, I thought for certain I was going to hate college.

I'm not proud of this, but I spent my freshman year in a constant state of bitterness. My roommates and I didn't get along in the slightest, I was struggling with new concepts and elements of my major, and I missed my family and best friend (who was attending university on the other side of the country) constantly. The only time when I let the walls around my heart come down was during my weekly Life Group in my dorm, where I actually ended up meeting some of my best friends. That group was my saving grace during my freshman year and offered some relief from an otherwise awful year.

I did a lot of praying and talking to God during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, asking Him to help me to have a much better year than the previous one. After many weeks of doing this, I realized whether or not I had a better year than the one previously was going to depend on me. It wasn't going to be easy, but I was going to have to make some changes within my own heart. I had to allow God to fill my heart with His love and show that love to as many people I could. I was nervous about this, fearing rejection and possibly getting hurt in the process, but I felt the assurance that He would be with me every step of the way. So I made a promise to both myself and God that I would let His love be the thing which ruled my heart.

When I decided to show Jesus' love to others, my world opened up to so many new possibilities.

When I looked at things through the eyes of Jesus, I suddenly realized the wonderful world He created and just how much of an honor it was that I got to be in it. I met a ton of fabulous new people, some I call my closest friends to this day. I learned that I didn't need to be afraid of being rejected by people because as long as I was myself I was doing the right thing. I also learned the importance of putting myself out there. Admittedly, it was scary sometimes going to events by myself, but I always ended up enjoying them, and I met new friends who would later go to these events with me. I learned how to be brave and that I could be someone who showed God's love to other people.

I've come a long way since being that stubborn college freshman three years ago. God's love has really transformed me and shown me how to be a much more loving person to everyone I meet. The world seems like a much more exciting place and a place where I can be a blessing for other people. I've learned a lot, and I can't wait to learn even more in my last two years at GCU.