After returning home from an entire semester of college, I noticed that I have been too close for clarity. That phrase sounds strange and yet, it is so profound. I have been too close to a situation to clearly understand and appreciate what God is doing in this season of life. This may seem ridiculous to a few of you, but for most, I would assume that this rings true.

This past semester has been a roller coaster of new and exciting adventures. Meeting new friends, exploring new places, trying new things and being wonderfully overwhelmed by it all. I am not going to lie, when I started driving home after a semester away, I really didn't want to leave my new normal. However, I have been pleasantly surprised with an enormous amount of gratitude during my time back home.

I used to think I would leave my small hometown as soon as I graduated high school and I would never look back. I wanted to get the heck out of this sheltered, suffocating town and not think twice about it. Boy, was I wrong.

Last year, I was hit with the hard reality that God's plan for my life was not lining up with the plan I was trying to coerce into existence. I struggled and fought with everything in me to try to make my plan work. I eventually gave up the fight and allowed God to do his thing. I eventually started to see why I was "stuck" in my hometown another year and the small glimpses of what God was doing in this little town were incredible to see.

Although I was not where I wanted to be, I was exactly where I needed to be. For that, I will be forever grateful. This year I started attending my dream school and realized how much my perspective on everything had changed. After giving up control, and striving to have a grateful heart, I now have a peace that truly surpasses all understanding and I have been more at ease with the changes in my life than I ever thought possible.

It is crazy how a circumstance doesn't look quite the way we imagined when we take the time to take a step back from the situation to gather our thoughts and then jump back into it with a newfound perspective. This can be applied to relationships, family dynamics, friendships, or even just tough decisions to be made. For me, it applied to all of the above. I gained a new perspective on life itself and now strive to have a grateful heart in every season of life.

I hope that if you are feeling stuck, alone, angry, hurt, or confused, that you will not question why God has placed you where he has, but rather your question would be, 'what should my attitude be towards my current circumstances?' Sometimes all we need is a little change in perspective.