Christmastime

I just stumbled across something I wrote around Christmas break last year, halfway through my Senior year at Baylor.  I sat in my cubicle contemplating life and all that was before and behind me. Here is what I wrote that I read tonight:

"Christmastime. It's the time of year we can all stop and reflect on the past year, or hurry around in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I choose to reflect. 2011 has been a great year full of surprises and great joy. However, it seems as if I have lost my grip on time throughout the past year. It seems true that as you get older, time seems to go faster. I also feel as though I am growing into an adult although I still feel like a kid. We (college seniors) are in yet another awkward phase of our life where we are not yet quite on our own, but we are on the brink of complete independence and adulthood. I don't know about you, but that frightens me a little bit. However, with all these thoughts swirling around in my mind, I have no choice but to live in every moment, each day at a time because only God knows my future and each day is precious. So with that, I embark on my very last semester of college and make the most of every minute!"

It is amazing how much I can learn from myself. My younger, almost wiser seeming self. Thank you Lord for teaching me things last year that you have used to encourage me today. You are in control. You know me perfectly and completely and nothing surprises You. Let us rest in that today. Even though the future may scare me, I trust You and ask that You would help me treasure each day.

Covenant Friendships

Today in church, the Pastor spoke on covenant friendships. He started by saying he was doing a series on marriage and when he said these words I kinda wanted to tune out. Little did I know I was about to hear a very powerful message. Brady proceeded to speak of the importance of same gender friendships. Immediately I thought of my little pockets of bestfriends that God has blessed me with over the past four years. I think of the Bungalow (Hillary, Paige, Jorie, and Lindsey) and Frank (Kathryn, Ashlyn, and Ashley) I also think of Sarah, my friend through all of life, the one I've known from birth. I honestly couldn't have asked for better friends or picked any better group of girls if I tried. I am confident that God hand picked each one of them and placed them in my life for a specific purpose to encourage me and help me along my journey in this life. I know that they are self-sacrificing and would do anything for me. We have the Jonathan/David type friendship that is described in 1 Samuel 18. I feel so extremely blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people and I know they are in my life for a reason. I don' t know where I'll be in three short months, but I do know that each of my coventant friends will be either a short drive, phone call, or skype date away and will be on my team rooting for me in whatever direction life takes me and I will do the same for them.