Amazing Things Are Happening

I'm so excited! I feel so overwhelmed with joy and gratitude towards God. Here's why...

As many of you know I am a Freshman at Calvin College. My experience here has been full of ups and downs, a lot of joy has come out of my experiences, but I've been praying for many things over and over again. Many of the things I've been asking for have not been direct prayers. I've been longing many things, and a lot of those wishes would come up in conversation or discussion and not always through prayer.

At the beginning of the year, I set out to live by a simple “motto”. I described my "vocation" and calling as a phrase which said "live life in the pursuit of something beautiful". Since I believe that God is the creator of all things beautiful, this obviously falls within the Christian calling in my life. I believe in pursuing what is beautiful, renewing and restoring the world to bring slight glimpses of Heaven on Earth. Through my classes at Calvin, I have learned more about my personal calling and vocation, and have struggled with what this all means. During this time, I also set my heart upon Psalm 61:2 which says:

"From the end of the earth I call to you, When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

This verse has led my life the past years, and and I have tried hard to ask God to "lead me in the way I should go...". 

Halfway through the year, I had met amazing friends, and joined some awesome groups on campus, yet still felt a longing and a tug at my heart. Something just wasn't totally there. I went to church every week, attended chapel frequently, yet still felt like I was missing something. I felt a sense of community at Calvin, yet I knew I needed more. I prayed for community, and friends I talked to had this same thing on their mind. I prayed for God to lead me.

That's when I discovered Delight, a women's ministry across the U.S. I've been sensing a call to create women's ministry, a sense of home for all women at college. I am trying to get a Chapter started at Calvin College, and I am so joyful about it. I have been filled with a joy and calling to pursue Christ more fully in my life. Today my professor read us a quote from St. Augustine saying "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you". This quote has made me think about my longing. God has given me countless signs to focus on Him. He will lead me where I should go. This calling makes me excited. I am called to create community, to pursue beauty, and I couldn't be happier about it. 

What's even better is that when I mentioned my idea, so many women at Calvin started saying they had felt the same way. I started getting a group of girls who felt just as passionate about the project and calling as I did. I knew that this was something that God was telling me to pursue, because so many people were so excited that I was taking the initiative.

God gives us signs to look up all the time. I feel led to stop living a lukewarm life, stop going through the motions and step out and take a chance. Don't expect things, pursue them. Stop waiting around for change to occur, actively seek it. Follow God, trust Him, and constantly question yourself, "am I living life in pursuit of something beautiful, something amazing, something God has called me to?"