I had a vision. I saw a beach. More specifically, I saw the ocean. In this ocean, I was standing on the shore, allowing the waves to touch my feet. I was just getting my feet wet, but only from the waves. Then, I decided to take a leap of faith and walk deeper into the water. Suddenly, I saw myself deep into the ocean. I was standing up in the ocean and looking into the sunset sky. My arms were up in the air, and the ocean waves were gone. I was working through the rough waves of the present, and then I suddenly saw the beauty of the future.

As college students, we are standing on the shoreline. We are beginning to step into life. The waves are crashing onto our feet. Sometimes, these waves are big and they take us by surprise. Sometimes we step on seashells, and they hurt our feet. It is very common to dislike the ocean in the beginning. Sometimes college is just awful. We love our school and are beyond thankful to be here, but our classes are just stressful. We are getting ready to enter into the real world, and the road to it is pretty rough. Just like the rough shoreline, we are in a busy semester and want to give up. Sometimes we wonder if college is worth it.

The journey through college has rough spots, just like the ocean. If we are trying to walk from the shore into the ocean, we will see rough spots. If we focus on our feet through the walk, we will only see the rough spots that are difficult to pass. If we look ahead of us, we will see the beauty of our journey. We will realize that this rough journey is a blessing.

When we are in the midst of our college years, studying for tests, writing papers, practicing our music, dances, monologues, life just seems too stressful to handle. When this happens, look into your future. Look as far into the ocean as you can see. You will see beauty and excitement. Look at the description of your degree. You will be reminded of your purpose. You will remember why you are doing this. Even though our journey seems rough now, it is actually quite beautiful.

When I saw myself deep into the ocean, all of the rough waves were gone. The sunlight was shining through the clouds, revealing the beauty of my life. The truth is that each and every one of us were created for a specific purpose. We were all meant to glorify God, but we get to glorify Him in different ways. Life is hard now, but it is so rewarding. Each one of us are on a journey to change the world. We are all meant to do something big, and we are preparing for it. When the waves are rough, remember that we are dealing with waves because we are changing the world.

"The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out." Proverbs 20:5