I can’t believe that I am saying this, but tomorrow is my last day of high school. This is a day that I never thought would come when I was learning the alphabet in elementary school, being awkward in middle school, or crying in high school when I didn’t get the grades I wanted.
Over the past few weeks pretty much everyone that I talk to asks me the same question, “are you excited to graduate?” And naturally I mutter out an excited yes that looks super excited on the outside. But that’s not completely true. I am so scared to leave behind everything that I have known for the past 13 years.
But as this chapter of my life is quickly coming to a close I can’t help but sit back and reflect on the past few years.
Going into high school I really just wanted the High School Musical experience. Everything would be great and I would find my very own Troy Bolton that would sweep me off of my feet and I would flip the school upside down. I had high hopes, but I didn’t realize how small I was. As me and my nerdy self wandered around the halls of North Oldham I got a taste of what high school is really like.
I have had so many great memories the past 4 years. I got to experience CIY moves with my best friends, get involved in an awesome prayer group, go to Jamaica 2 times and Costa Rica once on mission trips, and join a great bible study group at the end of my senior year that met twice a week before school and we prayed for each other and our school. I also got to develop some really awesome relationships with people that I never in a million years thought I would be friends with. I have more memories from running cross country than I would like to list out, and have also been sworn to secrecy to not share.
Some of my favorite memories from high school are turning all of our desks around when the teacher walks out of the room so that we are facing the back wall when they come back, getting yelled at by Ms. Jefferson, creating new relationships with other people who love Jesus, and being able to sit down and have real conversations with teachers about life. But this is just to name a few, I don’t want to bore you.
I bet you’re wondering where I am going with this post, but don’t worry, just stick with me.
As I get ready to become North Oldham ‘alum’, I look back on my experiences and I want to stay here. And that’s not a response that you would expect from a high schooler, especially me because I have hated high school for the past two years. But now that the time has come to leave, I want to continue doing what I know and being with the people that I know. The people who have helped me get to where I am.
During this time of transition I am filled with excitement, don’t get me wrong, but I have had to do some hard praying and listening to God to get there. Over the past 2 months God has revealed some truths to my heart that I have been able to cling to. In Isaiah 40 we are told that God holds us close to his heart like a shepherd holds his sheep. And in Exodus 14 God tells the Israelites that he is going to fight for them, all they have to do is be still.
These truths have been things that I have held close to my heart in this time of transition. The God of the universe is holding me close to his heart and that he is fighting for me. These words make me feel safe and like I can do things that I see as scary. When I say these verses to myself I gain a sense of peace and comfort, and for you the verses may be different. But I encourage you to find some truths about God that you can hold on to.
So as I finish up my high school career tomorrow, I am going in with a sense of peace. I look back on these past 4 years and smile because God has done some pretty cool things and he has revealed and taught me more than I ever thought I could learn. But now all I can do is hold onto the memories, knowing that it will never be the same. It’s ok for me to be sad, but I’m not going to let that effect my future. I have confidence that God is going to be with me as I move on, throughout the summer and on the world race.
Bring it on future, I’m ready for ya.
{There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind. -C.S. Lewis}
On a slightly different note, I just wanted to let you guys know how my fundraising is going. I have officially met my second deadline of $9,000.00!!!!!! Praise God!! I am so thankful to have all of your support. Now I just have $3,500.00 left until I am fully funded! Also a lot of you ask how you can be praying for me and my team and I have a few prayer requests if you would like to join me in praying for them. First, some of my teammates are having trouble raising funds so if you could just pray for God’s will to be done. And if you could pray for my team and I as we are going to training camp in a little over a month to meet each other and get prepared for our launch in the beginning of September. And please just pray for us as we prepare, the enemy is having a lot of fun picking on us and we just need the strength to come out victorious. Thanks so much for your prayers, support, and for your interest in what God is doing! I love you all 🙂
