"Christ has called us to thrive, not merely survive." ~Beth Moore
In turning 25 a few months ago, I was at first devastated... I had such high expectations for where I would find myself in life at this age, and while in my heart I had planned my path, the Lord determines my footsteps (Proverbs 16:9). It's devastating when you realize that your dreams and expectations are not your reality. I'm living a completely different life than I would have planned for myself which causes me to draw nearer to God and hold His hand as we walk through a period of darkness where I can't see what He's doing or how He's working, but I feel Him near and have faith that I'm not missing out, that He has intentionally brought me to this place and that He is actively protecting, preserving and preparing me for His plans and purposes for this life He created. My challenge so far at the age of 25: Don't just survive...Thrive! I wanted to share just a few of the adventures I've encountered the past few months (many that are SO out of my element!) and share with you new things that the next few months will bring that God has so graciously revealed to me recently.
February: To celebrate my 25th birthday, I spent a wonderful weekend in Austin with friends. We hiked, ate, enjoyed our favorite spots in Austin, ate some more, attended my favorite church in Austin, ate again and I finally saw the bats fly from congress bridge! Oh and did I mention that we ATE?? :)I've been attempting to see the bats fly for years, and I finally succeeded by taking a fun sunset cruise on Lady Bird Lake. Below is a pic of me with the bat bridge...I was pretty excited!
March: I've also taken up photography! For years I've wanted a nicer camera and for my birthday my loving family was able to make that dream come true. My newest hobby is losing complete track of time while walking around taking pictures with my Nikon D3100. I'm still learning Photoshop, but this has definitely been something new & challenging that I enjoy! Here's one of my fav pics I've been able to capture so far...
April: This is probably the MOST out of my element thing I've done! WARRIOR DASH! This is a 5K, but with 11 obstacles that you must complete along the way. Obstacles include wading through a cold river, climbing over junkyard cars, scaling walls, jumping over fire and crawling through mud to name a few. It was so much fun and I'm so glad I did it! This is a pic of me crossing the finish line in all my muddy glory!
May: I started working at Catholic Charities last June helping the newly homeless regain employment and housing through rapid rehousing. Through MUCH prayer, God has opened a new door and is allowing me to start a new position, still with Catholic Charities, working with the chronically homeless doing more intense case management. I am following God down this next path and excited to see what He has for me and why He's chosen to take me in this direction!
June: Probably the thing in my life that I am most THRILLED about is going back to Africa to be with the orphans. I left my heart there last summer and can't wait to be reunited with my passion, my heart and bringing God's glory to the impoverished, abandoned and neglected orphans of Zambia. The spiritual warfare as I prepare to go back has been INTENSE and seems to grow more and more intense by the day. Prayers are needed and appreciated! I've been writing letters to my sweet Samuel and have received some back from him letting me know that he can't wait to see me at camp and that he loves and misses me too. Oh how I cherish those letters. I never, ever anticipated falling so deeply in love with one of the most precious boys in the whole wide world. This is a picture he sent me of him at Christmas. He looks so much healthier, more filled out and HAPPY!!! Makes my heart do somersaults. :)
Even though life doesn't look exactly the way I thought it would, I am so blessed and I thank God for the work He's doing. I will continue to rest and delight myself in Him. He is teaching me so much of Himself and I pray that more than anything, this 25th year will bring me more passion for Him.
This is a great post Shannon. I completely understand where you're coming from in regards to life and fitting "our timing" into God's hands. Speaking from my own experiences, the worst thing you can ever do is try to take control and force your own will into God's. In the end, you just discover how much He was actually protecting you from.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously have great things in store for your life, I'm sure at this point- it's just a matter of God's perfect timing. With your outlook, you literally can't go wrong.
Micah