I have exciting news!! I got accepted to Florida State University and I will be starting in the Fall of 2019 to pursue a degree in nursing. Through this blog, I would like to give y’all a peek in my decision process, and I am excited to share what God is teaching me about His will.
Let me start off by explaining a misconception that I often believe, but I am starting to see the Truth about. In the community I am in, the term “God wrecked my plans” is thrown around, like God is out there to destroy our hopes or to confuse us- heck I think I said that in my first blog post announcing that I was going on the Race. I seemed to have this idea that God’s will was like a road, and if I made one wrong life choice, I would swerve off the road like a car falling off a cliff. I am going to explain some things, and it will come full circle to this misconception.
I have hoped to go to FSU almost my whole life, my Mom and I had season tickets to the football games for years, and I could almost give the campus tour on my own before I even went on an “official visit.” FSU was always an option, but later in high school I become interested in Alabama. Coming on the Race, I had my admissions deferred to Alabama in hopes of attending, and my application submitted to FSU. Early in Swaziland, I had a conversation with my parents about how Alabama was not a smart financial decision, especially with all the opportunities that I would have in-state at FSU. In the moment, I was disappointed, because Alabama was a “dream” of mine, but I quickly started feeling peace about Florida State. A peace surely from God, beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:7), because my senior year, I was concerned about attending Florida State because of its reputation as a party school and where I would fit in there. I felt at home at FSU, but how would I live out God’s commandments there? It was a peace that continued from that conversation with my parents, for the months to come.
I finally, after what seemed like months of waiting, found out that I got accepted to FSU! I was beyond excited and relieved, and was able to FaceTime my parents and Sam the next day to talk about my news. While I was at the local café with wifi, I quickly got overwhelmed by housing contracts, orientation registration, scholarships, dining plans, rushing- and I became fearful. The thing that I had worked what felt like my whole life for came true, and I was fearful that I was making the wrong choice. I was honestly confused why I felt this way, but after talking with friends, reading my Bible, and praying, I realized that it was fear speaking and the enemy taking hold of my joy and my mindset.
I surely don’t know it all, or even that much, but here is what God has revealed to me this week and I have grown to realize. As Christians, I believe that some of us have this misconception of being able to “swerve” out of God’s will (like I talked about above). We think that we could chose the wrong college, the wrong job, and we are immediately ruining His plan. Of course, God is all-knowing, and knows what is next in your life, but we often overlook the idea of free will that God give us. I believe that God can prompt us to certain things for certain seasons, but ultimately, sometimes we have choices. And there can be multiple choices that honor God. If you only get one thing from this blog, here it is: God has the same will for each one of us- rejoice, pray without ceasing, give thanks, (1 Thessalonians 5:16). His will is for us to make disciples of all nations, to be the church, and to bring kingdom. Yes, of course, God can call us to specific things, but He desires us to seek him no matter where we are.
So what does this mean for me? I will continue to have hopes and dreams, seeking Godly counsel and praying. My plans may not always happen exactly as I have them, but that does not mean that God is out there to “wreck” them. I can’t plan anything perfectly, but God is always there for assistance. My challenge for myself and for you is to evaluate your life and ask “How can I honor God and follow His will in this stage of my life?”
