A Year's Gone By.

Three of my dearest friends are graduating this Saturday from my alma mater. This weekend will mark one year since I received my bachelor's. Today I met up with these girls before we all disperse over the globe, and I began thinking about my life now. I am not where I thought I would be, not doing what I thought I would be doing, if you had asked me a year ago. But I am learning to be thankful. The time I thought would be spent elsewhere allowed me to become a youth group leader, to invest in the women around me, and for Father to bring healing to my family. I am learning patience, stillness, love, grace, mercy, and trust. The Lord has put desires in my heart that can only be from Him, which means I must've allowed Him in far enough for Him to scoop some ugly junk out and replace it with His beauty. Admittedly, it is often uncomfortable when people respond as though I haven't done a whole lot since graduating, but I no longer feel the need to justify where I am at. I do not want to minimize the work The Lord has done in my life, and I do not want to develop a mistrust in Him because of someone else's opinion. So, looking back on this year, I am grateful for the memories, for the growth, for the experiences, and for the refinement. And I pray that these fresh grads would never regret where The Lord takes them from here, that they would always rejoice in the journey, and that the enemy's voice of discouragement would never be more than a light breeze passing by.

Thank you, Lord. For them. And for this life you have graciously given us.