Finding God in the Midst of Transition

Hello all! This day marks the near completion of my first semester as a true college student!! Overall, the semester has brought many new changes in my life, most of them good, some of them not as lovely, but all were important in my transition to this season of life.

Whether you are a newbie college student like me or you're in a totally different season of life, we all have to experience change. Some enjoy change, some despise it, but in reality, change is good for our lives. Our tunnel vision may only see them as little day to day tasks, or maybe we think too big and think that a certain decision has more impact than it really does. However, change happens every day, and flexibility is an important trait to master.

I'm not here to talk about flexibility in-depth, though. As someone who enjoys only a little bit of change every now and then, my college transition was difficult for me. I enjoyed the new freedom I had, yet I missed my family, friends, and state very much. I wanted to find something familiar, something that would give me an anchor to hold me down and not be swept away by the currents of emotional overload. For me, I have music and art, but there is always something more that can hold us fast.

Of course, by now you may think, "This is a blog that talks about God, why hasn't she mentioned her walk with Him yet?" To answer this, I must confess that I began the school year trying to do most everything on my own. I didn't want to break down from the emotional pressure, so I stayed busy studying and writing papers, skyping my friends and family, and being involved in my local church. However, fall break hit, and I didn't have anything to keep me busy. Most people had left campus to be with their families, so it felt deserted. In this time, I truly broke down. My emotions had been on the back burner, but they were finally allowed to flow.

Here is where the truth comes in. I realized that first, my emotions can't be locked up. It's not healthy. However, the more important reality was that I finally saw what place God had been holding in my heart. My attitude of total independence was quickly shown to be futile, and I had to ask Him for forgiveness. Through this time of confession, however, I began to see how He had carried me through the semester up to that point. Whether it was helping me remember certain concepts for a test or allowing me to make connections with others on campus, I finally understood how great my God really was, even if I did not acknowledge it at first.

Because of this realization, my heart became soft again towards Him. My desire to be in His Word daily increased. Praying with a heart of thanksgiving became easier. Most of all, my understanding of His goodness and grace deepened.

This post is a story, yes, but there are some key truths here as well that can be applied to your life as well.

1) Our heart determines our quality of life. 

Please hear me out. Do not just settle for "okay" or "good." Be honest with yourself. How important is God in your life? Are you growing and maturing in Christ? What do you use to keep yourself accountable? This area is critical because our actions flow from our hearts.

2) Our outlook can be transformed every day by Him or by the world.

Every day, we have a choice to make. Our lives can be ruled by the chaos in the world, or we can choose to find rest in the One who can be our safe place. My bible study for the past couple of months has been in Psalms. I read one a day, and they start off with a large array of laments. In every one, however, it tells of the psalmist's renewed trust in God, instead of a particular goal, person, or object. This confession of faith shows how He is our protector, our provider, and most of all, our safe place. We too must make a decision to make Him our safe place.

3) Our long-term outlook is governed by our actions today. 

Do you find yourself with an unhappy or ungrateful temperament? How easy is it for you to emotionally snap? Again, be honest with yourself. If your answer leans toward frequent spells of discontentment and high levels of worry or anger, perhaps it is time to revisit the tools that help you refocus on Christ. One of the tools I've adopted is to list one thing I'm thankful for about God, and I get this from the reading I did for my bible study.

As I read, I write my personal thoughts about a passage. This may be an application, or simply rewording it or explaining it. Using this method allows me to connect with what the passage is saying and remember it better. Once I finish that process, I pick the concept that stood out to me and work it into a short phrase that describes what exactly I am thankful for. Be specific!

As I close my bible study, I list some people or things that are on my heart to pray for specifically. Sometimes I rotate people, sometimes there are lingering requests, but this prepares my heart for prayer. Thanking Him specifically for whatever aspect that was shown before I ask Him to intervene in situations not only puts my position before Him in a better place, but I find that I trust Him more as well.

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Lately, I have been trying to read Lysa Terkeurst's book, The Best Yes. One of the chapters ended with the passage, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" (Psalm 111:10). When we talk about the fear of the Lord, many times we think that He is to be literally feared, and He should. However, as Christians we also have a personal relationship with Him, so we do not need to be scared of Him. In this passage, the word "fear" is a different Hebrew word (yirah), and it means to be in awe. So, like I mentioned above, and as Lysa wrote in this book, strive to see the hand of God working in your life. It is such a blessing to step back and realize what He has done and praise Him for His goodness and grace.

"Joy is a function of gratitude, and gratitude is a function of perspective. I don't need to change my life so much as I need to change my perspective to see all of the good."                                                                                - Ann Voskamp

My prayer for you is that your heart would be renewed with a greater desire for Him. As you do this, you begin to see just how much impact God has on your life. In turn, your gratitude towards Him flourishes, and you become a greater light to those around you. His love towards us deserves all the glory and honor we can give, and His arms hold us close, even in the midst of life's turbulent change.