07
08/10
00:23
Update!
Hey everyone! It has been quite a while since I have updated my blog, it has been a busy summer! Between getting a job, playing the band, and yes of course, swimming at the pool, I am not on the computer all that much. Right now it is 1am, and I am exhausted, but I wanted to give you just a little update on my life right now. This summer has been a challenging one for me, I must admit. God is stretching and growing me in more ways than one, and I am learning more and more to just rest in Him, find peace in Him, and allow Him to take control over the things in my life. It’s a hard thing, and I’m wrestling with letting things go. I know it’s not something that will happen overnight, but by God’s grace, I know He will give me the strength to let go, and let God. Just a week ago I was so blessed to be able to share a graduation ceremony/party with my cousin, Laura, and during the ceremony we both shared a few words with our family and friends. I would like to put my speech on here for everybody to read, because it kind of gives you an idea of where I am in my walk with Christ and also what the next year looks like (or what I think it’s going to look like
). Please comment, I would love to hear what you think! God Bless! Cat
Graduation Speech
Phil Vischer, the creator of Big Idea and Veggie Tales, said in a recent interview after losing his multi-million dollar empire, “Whatever you’re dreaming about doing for God, whatever you’re longing for, whatever impact you hope to have, let it go. Kill it. Drop it. And when you’re ready to live your whole life without it, just resting in your relationship with God, then you’re ready to be used by Him.”
So many people have asked me, “So what are you planning on doing now that you’ve graduated? Where are you going to college? What do you want to be?” I think almost everybody that has asked me have all gotten different answers. For over a year now I have been planning, working, doing research on, and stressing over the answers to those questions! And for a while, I thought I had it figured out where I was going, what I was doing, and how long it was going to take me. However, God had different plans for me, and taught me a few things along the way. In Proverbs 3:6, it says, “Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take.”
For a while, I questioned what God’s will was for my life. I wrestled with how I could know, and if making a decision to go to the wrong school would pull me away from God’s will and His blessing over my life. This put so much uneasiness and self-doubt in any decision I was attempting to make, and created many overwhelming and uncertain feelings about the future.
One day when I was doing devotions I came across a verse in 1 Thessalonians that explained exactly what God’s will was for my life, and my perspective on the decisions I had to make was completely changed. The verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18, and it says, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” I realized that God’s will for me was to live a righteous and holy life, and that whatever decision I made, as long as it lined up morally to His word, God would use it to bring glory to His name. Do I know what I would like the next 4 or 5 years to look like? Yes. But like the quote said earlier, my desire is to just rest in my relationship with God, and allow Him to use me however He sees fit, trusting that He knows the desires of my heart, and will put my desires in line with His perfect plan for my life. Over the past few years, He has been teaching me to trust Him completely, be patient, and to turn off the noise of this world and listen to His still and small voice directing me throughout this time of change and decisions.
Thank you all, so much, for coming to celebrate this occasion with Laura and me! This is such a special day, and all of you being here has made it even more special, that we get to celebrate it with our closest and best friends!
Thank you to my parents for raising me in a Godly home, and teaching me to love Jesus Christ with my whole heart and serve Him with my life. Thank you for encouraging me and always being there for me! And especially to my mom, for spending much of your energy and time to school me for 12 years! You educated me in history, science, english, and math (which, by the way, I am still a bit sore over the fact that I begged for YEARS to switch curriculums, convinced that the Saxon’s goal was to fail every person to use their math, finally switching in my senior year, and finding out that my 12 year old sister gets to switch in 7th grade! But, that’s for another time…). Even more than that, though, you taught me with your life how to model Christ’s love to others, and that is something that I will take with me always!
I am so blessed to have Godly mentors (some of which I call my “second parents”) in my life that encourage me, love me, pray with me and for me, and are there for me 24/7. I always have a blast with them, and I love and appreciate them more than they could ever know!
I am very happy to be sharing this day with not only my cousin, but my best friend, and while it is hard in that, she leaves in the fall, and I’m going to miss her so much, I know that no matter how far apart we may be physically, we will always be a tight knit pair!
So what am I doing this fall? I will be attending Luzerne County Community College, taking general courses, and Lord willing, next year attending Greenville College in Illinois for Music Performance and Worship Arts. While that is my ideal situation, I am surrendering all to Jesus Christ and allowing Him to move and direct me wherever He desires. I am resting in my relationship with Him, trusting that He will use me in His ideal situation for me, in His timing, and for His glory.