Reflecting On My First Semester

// August 29, 2016 – First Day of College. December 15, 2016 – Last Day of Finals //

And just like that, my first semester of college is over. In one of my blog posts over the past few months (an overwhelming number of three… wow my intentions to write a lot this semester didn’t go as planned 😂😅), I said something about making a conscious effort to soak up each day because time flies by. As I sit here and reflect on this past semester, I’m truly feeling the effects of time flying. I feel like I was just moving my belongings into my dorm and getting used to college life, and then I blinked… and now it’s Christmas break!

The past 4 months have been a whirlwind of homework and assignments entangled with blessings upon blessings, and I feel so grateful for the classes & experiences I had. I’ve grown beyond what I imagined I could in the span of 4 months, and on top of gaining knowledge, I’ve learned some pretty valuable life lessons. I wanted to share a few of those lessons with all of you… God has taught me SO much about Him, life, and myself through this new season.

First of all, my last blog post was about how Philippians 4:6 has recently impacted me, and it’s one of the biggest takeaways I have from this semester. God really reeled me in and quieted me with His peace by constantly reminding me of this verse. He taught me to not be anxious about any situation, big or small, because He has the full picture view while I only have a glimpse of what’s ahead. By making this truth my foundation this semester, I found myself calm in situations the world told me I should’ve been stressed in.

I also learned that God knows the desires of my heart… and He fulfills them. A specific example comes to mind when I think of this. While I was still in high school, I really wanted to visit Liberty for College For A Weekend… specifically the CFAW when For King and Country was going to be there. I so desperately wanted to see one of my favorite bands in concert at the college I wanted to go to. I ended up not going to that CFAW for various different reasons, which really bummed me out. Instead, I went to CFAW nine months later when Tenth Avenue North performed (which was AMAZING). While at this CFAW, Karen Kingsbury surprised the visiting students at the welcome rally, but she only spoke for 5 minutes. I was bummed because she’s one of my favorite authors and I wanted to hear her speak for a lot longer. Fast forward to my Freshman semester… I not only got to see BOTH For King & Country perform and hear Karen Kingsbury speak… but I MET THEM BOTH!!!!

Something else that He’s been teaching me is that He made me to be me, not anyone else’s opinion of me. The world is so loud with their opinions, and that’s great. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But sometimes people can be overwhelming with their opinions and for me, I start to mold myself to what they think. It’s been a long process learning that God hasn’t created me to conform to the world’s ideas. He created me with my own ideas, desires, and mind to think for myself… and He’s shown me that He wants me to stand firm in them as I stand firm in Him (Romans 12:2).

Lastly, I’ve been reminded that God’s timing is not mine. The Lord taught me this lesson a few years ago through a rough season in my life, but He gently showed me again this semester. His timing is not mine, whether He does something too soon or not soon enough. A major thing I’ve realized through this is that His timing is a blessing, even when it’s unexpected.

Through everything it is so obvious to me that Liberty is where I’m supposed to be!! How comforting it is to confidently know that I’m in the middle of His will. I’m looking forward to the next 7 semesters and everything that’s awaiting for me to experience!