The "What If" game

What's up friends? So round abouts a year ago, this kid was planning on moving to Arkansas. Everything was in place...I had just put a deposit in the place I was going to live, I'd met a few new people, I was making plans to find a job, I'd done the whole campus tour thing, etc. and then I went to my advising meeting...and I left feeling very not right. In fact, before I was even back in Missouri I called my friend and said, "I can't do this." After a few super stressful days of trying to figure out what to do I decided that I really couldn't do it, telling everyone that it was because of money. Looking back though, it's not that it was a money issue, I mean yeah, it would have meant loans for me but everyone and their mom takes out student loans so I could have done that if it came down to it...there was something bigger and far more important at work in my heart.
Looking back now, it's clear that I am exactly where I am supposed to be...but for a while, it was so easy to play the "what if" game...

What if I'd gotten in to C of O like I originally planned? 

What if I'd made different choices along the way? 

What if I've made the wrong choice yet again? 

What if it was just my fear keeping me here? 

What if I'm missing out on something better God has for me in Fayetteville?

What if I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing in life?

And I probably played that game for most of the summer as I went through the great fun of telling everyone that I wasn't leaving after all. But then, around the beginning of the fall '12 semester, I was asked if I thought I made the right choice...and I cringed because I still didn't know if it was right or wrong or how I'd ever know. So my response something along the lines of, "Well, I don't think I'll ever know for sure but I'm not dwelling on that. I'm going to make the absolute best of the choice I did make because that's what I've got to work with." So that's what I've focused on doing this year, making the absolute best of the decision I made rather than sitting around wondering about what I walked away from.

And what an amazing year it has been! First thing I did, on the advice of a dear friend, was find a place to get involved. That place was Christian Campus House and so many of the reasons that this year has been amazing stem from there...I went on my first ever mission (to Nicaragua!), was part of a small group for the first time, went on another mission trip, went to spring retreat where I met people from other campus ministries, made some amazing new friends, and oh yeah, am the new CCH secretary for the '13-'14 school year. All of that in one year of making an actual effort to participate! I just can't believe what an amazing group I've been blessed to be a part of and I cannot wait to see what God's got in store for all of us.

Also, I started sponsoring youth activities at church...such great times! It is truly a blessing to be able to love on those kids and really pour into them and see them learn each and every week. It is my continued prayer to always encourage them and build them up so they may always know they aren't walking alone through this life. 

There are more things, but I doubt you want to read a novel right now so I'll get to the point...Where I was going with this was to encourage each of you to live your life right now, don't dwell on the past, the future, or the "what if" because then you miss so much of what's around you. 

Love God. Love people. Love life. Be present. 

God will work the rest out, all you have to do is trust Him and run after Him with all you've got.