Sophomore - A Year in Review

As I sit here reflecting on my second year at Penn State, it's amazes me to see God's hand in each and every trial and triumph that my sophomore year held. This past school year I have been stretched to grow in academics, extracurriculars, and in my faith. I am going to share just a few things that God has put on my heart.


If you make expectations, you are putting limits on a limitless God. 
Walking into my sophomore year of college, I had made expectations on how my year was going to go. I knew that I would be taking harder classes and holding leadership positions in my clubs. Because this year didn't come with any big changes, I set my expectations pretty low. This year God taught me that if I make expectations, I am putting limits on a God that is limitless. So slowly but surely God broke and exceeded the expectations I made about the mundane year I thought would be set before me. Because that's what a limitless God does. As soon as I recognized how big, powerful, and sovereign my God is and always will be, I gave Him room to move in my life. And man this year God moved in my life and showed me how little I am and how BIG He is - how much did I need to learn that.


Nothing fully satisfies like Jesus.
College can pull your attention in so many different directions, and it is so tempting to fall into those traps. The trap the devil tries to tempt me with again and again is my perfectionism. Goals of getting into a good Physical Therapy program after undergrad combined with my desire to master the material in my classes can call for some long nights and stressful days. This year God provided me with the strength, stamina, and knowledge to excel in my classes. But I'm gonna let you in on a little secret I learned when looking at my GPA after this semester: even perfect grades don't satisfy you the way only Jesus can. Man did that ever bite my perfectionism in the butt. I sat in front of my computer excited, but such an empty sort of happiness filled me. A GPA I had been working for week after week left me to evaluate what I was pouring my attention and time into. Reaching a worldly goal made me temporarily full, but it didn't help me move closer to my eternal goal of day by day being a better daughter & disciple to my God.


Healing happens in His timing.
I hurt my back and head during my trip to Puerto Rico, and I was so incredibly frustrated during my healing process. I finally had a few less hectic weeks after my trip but headaches and back pain filled my days. I was mad at myself and mad at God, but the thing that He taught me is healing happens in His timing. When I wanted to run, God told me I needed to rest and be thankful for His healing - even if it was slower than I wanted. He taught me that in the rest I needed to thank Him for no headaches after a few days, and how each day I would wake up with a little less back pain. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, God placed this injury in my life because He wanted to teach me the importance of rest as well as being thankful for a healthy body. I cannot even tell you how excited I was to wake up, do yoga, and run without pain.


Spreading your sphere means furthering your connections.
This year I had the opportunity to lead in clubs as well as join new ones, which expanded my circles of friends from my freshman year. As a Christian at a large state school, God reminded me that I represent Him in each circle I step into. I am constantly encouraged, challenged, and stretched to grow by the groups of people I am blessed to surround myself with at school, and I truly believe that each person helps me become a better version of the woman God has created me to be. Initially I was nervous because God was pushing me beyond my comfort zone by taking the leap into new friendships, but out of our comfort zones is where we find the most joyous and wonderful moments and people.


Just. Say. Yes.
I could probably talk your ear off on the things God has been teaching me, but this is still one I am working through and want to leave you with (if you have made it this far haha). This year I've learned that life is filled with a bunch of ordinary moments, and I want to look back on my moments and memories and be happy for my yes'. I want to look back at my moments to learn from the times I said no to figure out what was holding me back, how I'm wired, and how I can push myself out of my comfort zone and into the arms of Jesus.

So I encourage you to review your current life season. Maybe you just finished a year of school, maybe you are in the middle of a very busy season at work, or maybe your days look somewhere in between. I think there is a lot of good in recognizing not only the season of life we are currently walking through, but what the God who walks through every season along our side is trying to teach us. I pray these little nuggets of truth God has dropped in my brain bless you. :)