But then, God's plans for us are always a lot better and crazier than anything that we could dream up! In a book I read once by Robin Jones Gunn (that maybe I've shared before, lol) God was referred to as the "Wild One." I really like that reference a lot - Life with God is a Great Adventure and Romance - and certainly filled with lots of surprises along the way. Sometimes I feel like I'm swept up in a whirlwind (like right now included, lol) - I'm doing what now? how did I end up here? and where am I going? [Like in Lord of the Rings when Frodo says, "Remember what Bilbo used to say: 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"] Following God is a lot like that too. lol.
I know I won't ever have life all figured out. But it's reassuring to know that I can keep walking with God daily through all the ups and downs in life and to trust Him with whatever step I am currently on and believe in the good plans He has for each one of us ;) Mostly in life I want to draw closer and closer in my relationship to God and to follow Him each step of the way. I know that I need God's help hugely on a daily basis!
This past summer, my time in Montana with the Montana Conservation Corps was awesome!!!!!!!!!! Such an incredible place! I'm very grateful I got to go out there and meet lots of cool people and see beautiful/ / wonderful parts of God's creation and do things I never would have imagined doing - hiking a ton, digging trails, chainsawing, nearly drowning in a river crossing, living outside and camping out so much. I liked the church I went to out there a lot too - it was smaller and a great community. I also really liked the people I worked with on my crew and getting to know them as friends. Montana reminded me that I want to love God and others well, to encourage everyone I meet and share God with them the best I can, and to live my life for God's glory. I don't always know how to do that well. But I keep praying that everyone would know God and not miss out on his Great Love and the Abundant Real Life of knowing Him!
At the end of my time in Montana, I felt myself longing in the next season of life for Home - a place of rest and security and belonging - not that I want life to suddenly become boring and dull - I still want Adventure and Romance - but I was longing for a place to be more settled. And I took comfort in God's truth / promises that He's been speaking into my life and heart lately through Isaiah 32:16-18 that says: "The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest."
While in Montana, I volunteered some at the library there. In seeking God's will regarding what to do next in life, I will be returning to school in May 2012 for an online Masters degree in Library and Information Science.
When I first got back to Michigan, I applied to a local park to work at a winter sports hill - running lifts, taking tickets, concessions, etc. where my twin sister had already gotten a job, and I was glad and grateful to be hired and excited to get to work with my sister and meet some cool people.... Only it has been a very bizarre winter - the strangest I've ever seen in Michigan - with warm temperatures and no snow!!! [Until today that is :) Yeah! Snow!!! :)] So a long story short, a job that would have started in December has been delayed and won't start until next weekend - January 20ish. So that's an area of trusting that God will work it all for good somehow even though I don't understand all the specifics of why things happen the way that they do.
In the meantime, it was wonderful to get settled in and enjoy the holidays with family and friends and work on some of the details involved in going back to school. I also started volunteering at the library in my hometown, and the people who work there are all really nice and encouraging :) I have learned so much from them already and would like to keep volunteering there and getting to know them better. Volunteering has been great to gain some work experience, but it's also a huge privilege because that library in particular has been an incredible blessing in my life growing up, and it's good to give a little bit back (not that I could ever repay how much I've been given!)
I've also been applying for jobs to work at libraries and just this week I got called for an interview with another library in the area. That library is much larger than the library in my hometown, and when I went there for the interview and entered the doors, I was reminded yet again of how libraries of all sizes make me very very happy :) lol. To me, it was like entering Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium :) The people I interviewed with were amazing, and I couldn't help thinking that I would really enjoy working with them and learning from them. That whole process had God's handiwork written all over it!!!
I only started volunteering at my hometown library in December and had put that on my job application. The head librarian at the other library saw that I was volunteering and called the head librarian at my hometown library for a reference, and she put in a good word for me, of which I am very grateful. I was the first person they interviewed for the job, and I found out the very next day that I was hired! That's humbling - because - if my season of unemployment has taught me anything - it's that there are a lot of qualified people out there. Yet, somehow God has a plan for each one of us and for whatever reason He chose to provide and bless me with this particular job, and I am very grateful! It's a part-time job, but there could be room to grow, and I leave the rest in God's hands. I am just excited to be starting that next week :) Sometimes we're challenged by long periods of waiting for answers and other times God chooses to answer quickly, but always He has our best interests at heart.
At the end of my time in Montana, I felt myself longing in the next season of life for Home - a place of rest and security and belonging - not that I want life to suddenly become boring and dull - I still want Adventure and Romance - but I was longing for a place to be more settled. And I took comfort in God's truth / promises that He's been speaking into my life and heart lately through Isaiah 32:16-18 that says: "The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest."
When I first got back to Michigan, it was really wonderful to see family and friends. But I also found myself facing some of the pain and brokenness and discouragement leftover from my period of unemployment before going out to Montana. Those areas were set aside during my time in Montana but hadn't really been dealt with yet, and God brought them to the surface so that He could heal them and restore me to Life and Joy in Him. And that has been a wonderful journey :)
Lately, God has hugely been restoring my Joy in Him and ushering in a season of restoration and rest and security in Him. Also, it is really wonderful to live at home with my parents again and I greatly appreciate all their help and being able to spend so much time with them, but I don't want to be a financial burden to them forever. At this age and point in my life, I would have thought that I would be much further along in being able to support myself. But I need to trust in God's plan and timing for my life and to ask Him for wisdom. Lately, I've been praying that God would remind me that He is my Provider.
While in Montana, I volunteered some at the library there. In seeking God's will regarding what to do next in life, I will be returning to school in May 2012 for an online Masters degree in Library and Information Science.
When I first got back to Michigan, I applied to a local park to work at a winter sports hill - running lifts, taking tickets, concessions, etc. where my twin sister had already gotten a job, and I was glad and grateful to be hired and excited to get to work with my sister and meet some cool people.... Only it has been a very bizarre winter - the strangest I've ever seen in Michigan - with warm temperatures and no snow!!! [Until today that is :) Yeah! Snow!!! :)] So a long story short, a job that would have started in December has been delayed and won't start until next weekend - January 20ish. So that's an area of trusting that God will work it all for good somehow even though I don't understand all the specifics of why things happen the way that they do.
In the meantime, it was wonderful to get settled in and enjoy the holidays with family and friends and work on some of the details involved in going back to school. I also started volunteering at the library in my hometown, and the people who work there are all really nice and encouraging :) I have learned so much from them already and would like to keep volunteering there and getting to know them better. Volunteering has been great to gain some work experience, but it's also a huge privilege because that library in particular has been an incredible blessing in my life growing up, and it's good to give a little bit back (not that I could ever repay how much I've been given!)
I've also been applying for jobs to work at libraries and just this week I got called for an interview with another library in the area. That library is much larger than the library in my hometown, and when I went there for the interview and entered the doors, I was reminded yet again of how libraries of all sizes make me very very happy :) lol. To me, it was like entering Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium :) The people I interviewed with were amazing, and I couldn't help thinking that I would really enjoy working with them and learning from them. That whole process had God's handiwork written all over it!!!
I only started volunteering at my hometown library in December and had put that on my job application. The head librarian at the other library saw that I was volunteering and called the head librarian at my hometown library for a reference, and she put in a good word for me, of which I am very grateful. I was the first person they interviewed for the job, and I found out the very next day that I was hired! That's humbling - because - if my season of unemployment has taught me anything - it's that there are a lot of qualified people out there. Yet, somehow God has a plan for each one of us and for whatever reason He chose to provide and bless me with this particular job, and I am very grateful! It's a part-time job, but there could be room to grow, and I leave the rest in God's hands. I am just excited to be starting that next week :) Sometimes we're challenged by long periods of waiting for answers and other times God chooses to answer quickly, but always He has our best interests at heart.
Other than that, I'd also like to date and get married at some point. That desire has been on my heart a lot lately. For the most part, It is out of my hands, but I have been praying for my future husband and writing letters to him from time to time - ever since I read the book When God Writes Your Love Story. God is the Author of Romance and all of Life - so it makes sense to turn to Him for guidance in that as in everything else. The whole process has given me a lot of perspective on God's love for us too- it's incredibly risky to love someone who may never feel the same way about you! It takes a lot of courage - And Christ died for us before we ever chose to love Him (and some may still choose to reject Him)! So anyway, who knows how all of that will turn out, sometimes it seems dangerous to hope - but I know that God can handle my heart and that whatever God has in store will be good...whether single or married. And in all of life, I want to enjoy each day with God - My Truest Prince Charming - the One who will always Love me Truest and Best :)
Lastly, I've been keeping a regular journal, but would like to do some more creative writing. And recently I signed up to run a marathon with my younger sister in May and am really excited to train for that and to run with my sister for some of the long runs and to spend time with her :)
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