The semester is over?! I’m heading home and for the first time in four months I can sit here and not feel guilty because I have no homework in front of me. How could I begin to sum up my life as of late? Simply recalling the highlights are difficult. It is all a blur and yet very clear. While it seemed like I have been on campus for years, it simultaneously went by very quickly. I thought that things were different while I was only three weeks into it… riiiiiiiight. Somewhere between move-in day and move-out day perspectives and expectations changed. Yet, the Lord has been there all along. Things I learned my first semester: Abridged version. -The staff truly care about the students. This I knew already, however it was impressed into me all the more. I read something recently from a new student at a well-known college. This student said, “College is the best time to learn….because nobody cares if you fail.” How sad. The professors and instructors are all incredibly caring. They love the students and want to see them succeed. They are willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the students. Let alone, we are not simply pupils; we are known by name in very real way.
-Be careful who you go after. Not all students are here for the right reasons. Be aware of that in your friendships. While on that note, get out of your shell. Get to know your peers. This is more so for me. It is overwhelming at times to consider that everyone you are around day after day could very soon be serving across the country and around the world in ministry with you. They will be one of the greatest assets you will have. It is all the more important to build those relationships now. We are the next round of servants. We need each other. -Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are so many changes and adjustments to make… don’t personally overwhelm yourself with the details. This will go undone. Maybe your shirt won’t be completely wrinkle free, or you won’t have the usual 20 minutes to do your hair in the morning, but that’s okay. Making sure you have a certain color pen is not quite as important as whether you are in class or not. Don’t wear yourself to a frazzle worrying about every detail. -You only need the extreme essentials. Honestly, that’s all you’ll use. No need for extreme packing. Enough said. -Stay busy. This shouldn’t be hard to do. Basically I am saying, if you don’t work, get very involved! If you have a job along with a full classload, you’re going to busy whether you like it or not. Idle time is not good for anyone. Stay busy and stay involved. -Spend MORE time with Him. You are at a point in your life that you are stretched for time, and yet you need to spend more time with Him. Make time with Him extremely high in your priorities. It is Bible College after all. Keep Him as your main focus. -Don’t put off exercise. My goodness, this one was huge for me. I love to work out. It’s my stress release, my way of staying fit, spending a little extra time with Him, and okay with myself. Well, time was not available for running and workouts as it used to be…. food was. The “freshman 15” was far behind me by spring break. I gained about 20-25 pounds my first semester. That’s really great for self-motivation. -Keep a positive attitude. Everything may be going wrong in the morning, or maybe just one thing. Running late…. wardrobe malfunctions... missed breakfast because you woke up late... rushing to the library, dropping things on the way and trying not to be late to class. This can be the cause of a negative spirit and ruin your day, or you can keep a positive attitude about it. Realize that He is still in control, and create a new start to your day with each moment. -Expectations are different. You don’t have to live to them. Every peer, every member, every teacher, everyone back home will have a different personal set of expectations. The only One’s expectations that matters is His. Some may expect you to be a social butterfly, while others expect you to get all A’s. Some may expect a Spiritual giant, and yet others expect you to fail miserably while you just expect perfection from yourself. Those don’t matter at all compared to His. -Have fun. Students tend to get all predictable and serious. That’s good for classes, but take time to get out, relax, and have some fun. -Learn to appreciate a planner. Syllabi and planners are some of your best friends! You’ll be much more relaxed and on top of things if you know exactly what’s expected of you on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. -Make homework a priority. Do it ahead. You will regret the day you chose to do something over homework,the day before it is due comes and the assignment has yet to be started. Stay on top of it… at least a week. No last minute stress that way. -Love. Love other people. The staff, the students, the church. They definitely love you, love them! It absolutely hurts along the way, but its worth it. -Don’t become exclusive. I’m not talking about guy/girls, but simply among groups of friends. Don’t stick with a handful of people exclusively. Get to know everyone. Certainly you will be closer to some than others, however don’t hang out in your comfort zone for too long. You’ll find yourself in a little clique. -Respect the rules. People all around you will talk bad about the rules and go under them… don’t be one of them. Have enough integrity to abide by the rules. Who you are now will be who you are in the ministry. If you go around the rules or cheat now, what will you do later? -Do your best and give Him the rest. You can’t control everything. Give it to HIm.You may not get the best grades. Give it to Him. You may find yourself very alone. Give it to Him. You may not get the relationships or recognition you desire. Give it to Him. Do your best with what you have, and leave the rest to Him. On the same note, take your discouragement to HIm. Adjusting is hard. Expectations are rough. Church, friends, grades, exhaustion and emotions...take them to Him. -Don’t skip a week of laundry or a day without doing your dishes- you WILL regret it! -Prepare for the day the night before. This includes laying out the outfits for the day, packing your bag, the whole nine yards. Last-minute things happen and you will be grateful for the slightly lessened rush the next morning. -Print off papers BEFORE the morning of. I can not tell you how many times I didn’t and my printer didn’t work. Then it’s the struggle of putting it on a flashdrive and rushing to the library. Don’t do that. ;) -Don’t consume yourself with “back home”; Comforts, people, or things you left behind. While you are at college, be all there. Besides, when you do go home, things that you find comfort in now may not be there. All that is great and just begins to scratch the surface of what I take away from this semester. But above all, I walk away having learned, or at least reminded of this: no one is above temptation, or falling to any given sin. No one. Somewhere between three to four years are ahead of me and I am excited to see what the Lord will teach me through them. Maybe I have passed all my classes this semester, but I feel like I have failed at learning. I have grades to show, but I have not retained as much as I’d like to have had. I expect to step out of a class knowing and remembering every detail...but that’s impossible. Possibly the most cherished things I have gained though is my adopted family, and a new perspective for the world. I may come home such zeal built up in me that it will get crushed after a short time, but for that short time, I will do my best to use it.
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Lizzy parkerMarriage.
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January 2023
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