As I start my 6th semester of college, I've recently been reflecting back on everything I have learned. There have been some very fun and good moments, but there have also been some extremely heartbreaking and difficult moments that I have had to face. All of them, however, have shaped me into the person that I am today and I wouldn't change that for anything.
As I look back, I see how much I have grown and it truly amazes me. I am nothing like that 18-year-old girl who started college all those years ago. I've grown in ways I never thought I could.
When I started out, I was just a young, naive teenage girl who thought she had it all figured out, but in reality, had so much growing to do. Little did I know that God used a huge heartbreak that was dropped in my lap to grow me into the person that I am supposed to be.
Since then, I'm more confident now, I have found my voice, I have discovered what God is calling me to do, I've grown in my faith, and I've matured.
I have found out who I am.
Yes, I endured trials and tribulations along the way, but the good out ways the bad.
To those of you who haven't quite conquered your trials yet, I know college is hard and I know it seems impossible.
You're away from home, with new people, and are really experiencing life for the first time. Of course, you're going to experience hardships! Friends you were close with may become distant memories, relationships that you thought would last may end, and not to mention the stress of school alone. You may even be experiencing trials much worse than that.
Whatever you're going through, I want to encourage you that the end result will outweigh everything you are currently facing. I also want you to know that no matter how alone you feel, you are never truly alone. Even if you have no one else, God is always walking by your side. I encourage you to pray to Him! Pray He gives you the strength to push through whatever you are facing and to guide you to be the person you are meant to be.
To those who have experienced what I have experienced, I encourage you to continue to press into Him and to share your story. Use your testimony to encourage those around you and to show them what God has done in your life.
Wherever you are in your walk, continue to trust in Him. Know that He has created you with a purpose in mind and that He will never forsake or abandon you. You can always count on Him.
So as you start this week, I encourage you to talk to Him about the things that you are facing in life that are hard and look for Him in each day.
