Actually, I don't know what I'm doing for the rest of my life so this is mostly about the college question.
As of today I'm officially a senior. Which is very weird, and exciting, and weird.
Because of course, after your senior year you go on to be like.. a real person living in the real world. Which is crazy because what even is life without waking up at 5am every day to go to school? Probably awesome. I'm really excited because today I went to graduation which makes me excited for my graduation which is 370 days from now, I think.
So obviously with being a senior comes the question of what are you going to do with the rest of your life.
Which is usually phrased in one of these ways:
"Where are you going to college?" and "What are you going to school for?"
Or something like that, because mostly everyone wants to know about college. But I'm not going to college.
I bet that someone who is reading this just had a little mini heart attack or something.
A lot of people think it's a shame when someone doesn't go to college. I think it's a shame that they think it's a shame. I know why though, and they mean well. When I was little, I thought that people didn't go to college if and only if they failed school and worked at McDonald's for the rest of their lives. (Nothing against working at McDonald's - best smoothies ever). But me, well, I don't know. I have a 4.0 GPA this year. People expect "more" of me, I think.
But here's the thing. I believe in God. I believe in what he says, what he does, and who he is. I believe that Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago to wipe us clean and pure so we can be with him forever. And I believe that the "forever" doesn't just mean after we die when we go to Heaven, but it means that even now in our lives we can have a relationship with him. A personal, real, deep relationship. I believe that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives, that he is completely involved in it, that he guides our steps and calls us to do things for his glory.
I know that might sound crazy to you, and that's okay because it kind of is crazy, but it's true. And if you don't believe that or understand that, I probably won't make sense to you, and my life probably won't make sense to you. That's okay. I just want everyone to know why.
When I was 13 years old God called me to be a missionary. Now to me, a missionary doesn't necessarily mean that you went to Bible school and are certified by a missions board and stuff like that (although it can be of course), but a missionary is really just someone who loves God so much that it overflows into their love for others, someone who lives to serve God and leads/helps/guides others to do the same. Which is me, and you, and anyone, because we can all be missionaries everywhere we are.
I feel a specific call to care for orphans. Orphans everywhere, but especially orphans in Africa. I have known this in my heart since I was 9 years old.
I love taking care of children. I would babysit every day of my life 24/7 if I could. When I was in 2nd grade I told my class I wanted to be a mom. I also tried to get them all to call me Karen, but that didn't work out too well. Anyways.
It dawned on me one day that a college education may or may not be necessary for what I want to and feel called to do. I told my mom I might not go to college and she freaked out. Understandable, she's a teacher, I'm the first born, I'm smart, I should go to college. Lol. But I really, really prayed about it and I told God I'll do whatever you want me to do, but if your plan for me doesn't include college, I really need you to please give my parents peace about it. I was 13. I left it at that and prayed about it for about three years and he did give both my parents peace about it. That was a huge confirmation for me. But it can't even come close to describing all the ways God has answered my prayers. I am so sure that this is God's will for me.
I'm totally open to going to college. If that was what God wanted me to do, I would go to college. Maybe I will someday, I don't know. But not in 2014. I think college is very good and very important. Most people should go to college. A college degree is very important in today's world and society. I definitely support going to college and would advise everyone to do it unless they were sure God was telling them otherwise.
But the thing about God's plan is that sometimes, or maybe a lot of times, it might not make sense. It might not seem logical, comfortable, or safe. It might be controversial or counter-cultural. It might go against what the world says you need or what the world values. Education is good. Education is extremely, extremely valuable and important. But a college degree does not give value to a person or to their life. The fact that the one and only most high God created you, loves you, gave everything for you, and has a plan for you is why you are valuable. Because He says so.
Some people have told me I'm taking the easy way out. It's not. It is scary, frustrating, and awkward to tell people what I plan to do after high school. Especially people who don't understand me at all. Usually people either tell me I'm so nice or try to talk me out of it, and like I said it's scary, frustrating, and awkward. There are many days when I'm pretty sure no one understands me at all. Yesterday, someone who loves God and I very much respect told me, "I know you have a lot of passion, but there's always summer for that kind of stuff." Another time, again a person who I love and respect and a person who I know serves the Lord, lectured me on how I'm rushing my life and hearing God wrong and He is actually telling me to wait and do this later. But here's the thing - right after that another person came up to me and said to me, "Jesus says, 'You know your calling, and you will do it.'" And she didn't even know what just happened. God always comes through for me. Every time. And I know a lot of people, probably including some of you reading this, want to try to talk me out of moving to Africa when I graduate high school. These people mean well and I love them for wanting the best for me, but don't worry. Jesus is the best for me. He will provide everything I need. He will make sure I have the skills, abilities, resources, characteristics, etc. for what He wants me to do. He's going with me. I'm going with him. He has this all under control, and even though I don't know all the details, he does.
So as of now, the plan is to move to Africa when I graduate high school next year to work in an orphanage, take care of children, love them, teach them about Jesus, and learn everything I can about orphan care. I don't know where God will take me from there. Maybe I'll come back to America and go to school. Maybe not. I don't know, and it doesn't worry me because God's plan for me is already planned. It has been a dream of mine for many years to run my own orphanage sometime down the road. But for now, moving to Africa and working in an orphanage is what I know. I am so excited and so, so sure.
Recently I had some doubt. The devil started to tell me that it was too good to be true. That this was so much my dream, was it getting in the way of God's plan? Was this what I wanted instead of what he wanted? How could God's plan for me possibly be so good? Aren't God's plans usually harder and not what I want? (Ha!) What if I get sick? What if I don't know what to do?
But yesterday, after a slightly discouraging and extremely awkward conversation with a teacher, I went to incline feeling frustrated and confused. And God grabbed onto me, held me, showered me in love, and made me look into his face and listen to what he was telling me. It seems too good to be true because IT'S GOD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. He IS too good to be true, but HE IS TRUE. This plan is so much my dream because HE PUT IT IN MY HEART. He has grown it in me since I was 9 years old! It will be hard, but it will be okay because he has it all figured out already! And it's okay if I get sick, because HE IS THE HEALER. It's okay if I don't know what to do because I don't! He does! This IS his plan for my life, and I let the devil tell me lies but that's all they were. Lies. And God tells me the truth. I believe him. If he says he is going to provide for me, he is. If he says he will heal me, he will. If he says this is what I should do, then this is what I should do. I left that time feeling SO refreshed, so full of joy, and even more sure of this plan than I have ever been before.
I know that to many of you this is just crazy. Yes, following God is an adventure. It is crazy. And I'm so so so so so beyond excited for where it takes me. So, I just wanted to tell you all that God is real and good and I believe in him. I believe him. So this is what I'm doing because he told me to and that's all I need to know.
Thank you Jesus :)
"Give me faith, to trust what you say, that you're good, and your love is great."
"I may be weak, but your spirit's strong in me. My flesh may fail, my God you never will."
"Your love heals every disease, your love fulfills my every need, your love is everything to me, your love is everything."
"The mountains shake before you, the demons run and flee at the mention of your name, King of Majesty. There is no power in hell, or any who can stand before the power and the presence of the Great I Am."
"For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4;
'Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.'
I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, followed his commandments, and was a 'good girl,' He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true.
Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way.
It is not about God making my dreams come true
but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life."
~Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie
(PS: Exactly one month from now I will be on a plane to Liberia!! Yay!!)
As of today I'm officially a senior. Which is very weird, and exciting, and weird.
Because of course, after your senior year you go on to be like.. a real person living in the real world. Which is crazy because what even is life without waking up at 5am every day to go to school? Probably awesome. I'm really excited because today I went to graduation which makes me excited for my graduation which is 370 days from now, I think.
So obviously with being a senior comes the question of what are you going to do with the rest of your life.
Which is usually phrased in one of these ways:
"Where are you going to college?" and "What are you going to school for?"
Or something like that, because mostly everyone wants to know about college. But I'm not going to college.
I bet that someone who is reading this just had a little mini heart attack or something.
A lot of people think it's a shame when someone doesn't go to college. I think it's a shame that they think it's a shame. I know why though, and they mean well. When I was little, I thought that people didn't go to college if and only if they failed school and worked at McDonald's for the rest of their lives. (Nothing against working at McDonald's - best smoothies ever). But me, well, I don't know. I have a 4.0 GPA this year. People expect "more" of me, I think.
But here's the thing. I believe in God. I believe in what he says, what he does, and who he is. I believe that Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago to wipe us clean and pure so we can be with him forever. And I believe that the "forever" doesn't just mean after we die when we go to Heaven, but it means that even now in our lives we can have a relationship with him. A personal, real, deep relationship. I believe that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives, that he is completely involved in it, that he guides our steps and calls us to do things for his glory.
I know that might sound crazy to you, and that's okay because it kind of is crazy, but it's true. And if you don't believe that or understand that, I probably won't make sense to you, and my life probably won't make sense to you. That's okay. I just want everyone to know why.
When I was 13 years old God called me to be a missionary. Now to me, a missionary doesn't necessarily mean that you went to Bible school and are certified by a missions board and stuff like that (although it can be of course), but a missionary is really just someone who loves God so much that it overflows into their love for others, someone who lives to serve God and leads/helps/guides others to do the same. Which is me, and you, and anyone, because we can all be missionaries everywhere we are.
I feel a specific call to care for orphans. Orphans everywhere, but especially orphans in Africa. I have known this in my heart since I was 9 years old.
I love taking care of children. I would babysit every day of my life 24/7 if I could. When I was in 2nd grade I told my class I wanted to be a mom. I also tried to get them all to call me Karen, but that didn't work out too well. Anyways.
It dawned on me one day that a college education may or may not be necessary for what I want to and feel called to do. I told my mom I might not go to college and she freaked out. Understandable, she's a teacher, I'm the first born, I'm smart, I should go to college. Lol. But I really, really prayed about it and I told God I'll do whatever you want me to do, but if your plan for me doesn't include college, I really need you to please give my parents peace about it. I was 13. I left it at that and prayed about it for about three years and he did give both my parents peace about it. That was a huge confirmation for me. But it can't even come close to describing all the ways God has answered my prayers. I am so sure that this is God's will for me.
I'm totally open to going to college. If that was what God wanted me to do, I would go to college. Maybe I will someday, I don't know. But not in 2014. I think college is very good and very important. Most people should go to college. A college degree is very important in today's world and society. I definitely support going to college and would advise everyone to do it unless they were sure God was telling them otherwise.
But the thing about God's plan is that sometimes, or maybe a lot of times, it might not make sense. It might not seem logical, comfortable, or safe. It might be controversial or counter-cultural. It might go against what the world says you need or what the world values. Education is good. Education is extremely, extremely valuable and important. But a college degree does not give value to a person or to their life. The fact that the one and only most high God created you, loves you, gave everything for you, and has a plan for you is why you are valuable. Because He says so.
Some people have told me I'm taking the easy way out. It's not. It is scary, frustrating, and awkward to tell people what I plan to do after high school. Especially people who don't understand me at all. Usually people either tell me I'm so nice or try to talk me out of it, and like I said it's scary, frustrating, and awkward. There are many days when I'm pretty sure no one understands me at all. Yesterday, someone who loves God and I very much respect told me, "I know you have a lot of passion, but there's always summer for that kind of stuff." Another time, again a person who I love and respect and a person who I know serves the Lord, lectured me on how I'm rushing my life and hearing God wrong and He is actually telling me to wait and do this later. But here's the thing - right after that another person came up to me and said to me, "Jesus says, 'You know your calling, and you will do it.'" And she didn't even know what just happened. God always comes through for me. Every time. And I know a lot of people, probably including some of you reading this, want to try to talk me out of moving to Africa when I graduate high school. These people mean well and I love them for wanting the best for me, but don't worry. Jesus is the best for me. He will provide everything I need. He will make sure I have the skills, abilities, resources, characteristics, etc. for what He wants me to do. He's going with me. I'm going with him. He has this all under control, and even though I don't know all the details, he does.
So as of now, the plan is to move to Africa when I graduate high school next year to work in an orphanage, take care of children, love them, teach them about Jesus, and learn everything I can about orphan care. I don't know where God will take me from there. Maybe I'll come back to America and go to school. Maybe not. I don't know, and it doesn't worry me because God's plan for me is already planned. It has been a dream of mine for many years to run my own orphanage sometime down the road. But for now, moving to Africa and working in an orphanage is what I know. I am so excited and so, so sure.
Recently I had some doubt. The devil started to tell me that it was too good to be true. That this was so much my dream, was it getting in the way of God's plan? Was this what I wanted instead of what he wanted? How could God's plan for me possibly be so good? Aren't God's plans usually harder and not what I want? (Ha!) What if I get sick? What if I don't know what to do?
But yesterday, after a slightly discouraging and extremely awkward conversation with a teacher, I went to incline feeling frustrated and confused. And God grabbed onto me, held me, showered me in love, and made me look into his face and listen to what he was telling me. It seems too good to be true because IT'S GOD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. He IS too good to be true, but HE IS TRUE. This plan is so much my dream because HE PUT IT IN MY HEART. He has grown it in me since I was 9 years old! It will be hard, but it will be okay because he has it all figured out already! And it's okay if I get sick, because HE IS THE HEALER. It's okay if I don't know what to do because I don't! He does! This IS his plan for my life, and I let the devil tell me lies but that's all they were. Lies. And God tells me the truth. I believe him. If he says he is going to provide for me, he is. If he says he will heal me, he will. If he says this is what I should do, then this is what I should do. I left that time feeling SO refreshed, so full of joy, and even more sure of this plan than I have ever been before.
I know that to many of you this is just crazy. Yes, following God is an adventure. It is crazy. And I'm so so so so so beyond excited for where it takes me. So, I just wanted to tell you all that God is real and good and I believe in him. I believe him. So this is what I'm doing because he told me to and that's all I need to know.
Thank you Jesus :)
"Give me faith, to trust what you say, that you're good, and your love is great."
"I may be weak, but your spirit's strong in me. My flesh may fail, my God you never will."
"Your love heals every disease, your love fulfills my every need, your love is everything to me, your love is everything."
"The mountains shake before you, the demons run and flee at the mention of your name, King of Majesty. There is no power in hell, or any who can stand before the power and the presence of the Great I Am."
"For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite Bible verses has been Psalm 37:4;
'Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.'
I used to believe it meant that if I did what the Lord asked of me, followed his commandments, and was a 'good girl,' He would grant all my desires and make my dreams come true.
Today, this is still one of my favorite passages of Scripture, but I have learned to interpret it in a totally different way.
It is not about God making my dreams come true
but about God changing my dreams into His dreams for my life."
~Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie
Gianna, I am so thankful that you have such a passion and desire to serve God with your whole heart. Following Him is definitely not the easy way, but it is the best way. Praise God that you understand that glorifying God and enjoying Him forever begins right now, and not some distant time in the future. I will be praying for you!
ReplyDelete