summer thoughts.

what a year this has been. it has been full of firsts and full of laughter. it has been great living and loving life with some of my best friends in maulding #fourtwentfly. it was hard to move knowing that it holds so many of the great memories from the past year. surprise birthday parties. singing power ballads in the living room. community naps and romantic comedies, which the occasional sports movie thrown in. football games. being discipled for the first time. being intramural team moms. an ER trip or two. thanksgiving and christmas parties. pictures in the park. finding such a solid community within navigators. friday night dinners. ridiculously fun spring break trip to nashville. late night study parties. late night life conversations. late night encouragement.

but this year has had plenty of challenges of its own. the loss of two of the most influential people in my life within a month and half of each other. apartment getting broken into. thousands of dollars of stuff and the comfort of safety gone for a little while. roommates going through some really difficult situations. change of major and the fear of other people thinking i’m crazy for it. realizing that i am an exceptionally average student and learning to be okay with that.

this year has taught me how to constantly run towards jesus. i desire with all my heart to grow more like him everyday, and i fail a lot. but i am so thankful for his grace that constantly picks me up again and keeps me going. despite all the rough times, he has remained by my side. and i am so thankful.

as this year ends and summer semester begins, i look to him. it is going to be one of the hardest things that i have ever had to do to not return to camp glisson for the first summer in thirteen years. it has always been and will always be my spiritual home, the first place that i really encountered jesus and truly understood his goodness. but he has taught me a lot this year that it isn’t about the place. that it’s never been about the place. is it beautiful up in the north georgia mountains? yes. will i always love cane creek falls, the glisson chapel, and even G4, G6, and G7? of course. but it had always been about the unconditional love, radical community, and most importantly the presence of the Holy Spirit.

as i enter into this new season of summer life here at tech, i pray that the lord would continue to reveal himself to me in new ways. it will be a summer unlike any that i have had before. i pray that he would give me discipline and focus that i need greatly in order to succeed in school, because for some reason he told me he wants me to be in engineering. i pray that he would give me a greater boldness and courage than i could ever have on my own to be a light in the house, the classes i'll be taking, and to the people of Atlanta that need him most. i pray that he would continue to grow me into a more loving person and teach me what it truly means to put the needs of others above myself always.