The last four days have taught me a lot about who the “real” me is. That may sound strange, but it’s amazing what you can learn about yourself when all of the pressures and influences you’ve grown used to are removed. I’ve experienced a sense of freedom here that has allowed me to rediscover aspects of who God made me to be.
I’m not nearly as productive here as I am back home. When I stop to think about this, it freaks me out. I am so accustomed to “Go! Go! Go!” and never stopping. Heaven forbid something on my to-do list goes undone! But now, I have witnessed the way the Lord provides when I stop stressing about getting everything done. I have spent much more time with people in these first three weeks than I do in a typical semester at IWU! And, I am still learning everything and completing all my work for my classes. I am managing to form meaningful connections with people, experience amazing opportunities, and complete my studies all at the same time! I guess I’m still very busy, but a new kind of busy. Along with extra time with people, I have been spending “extra” time with God. I am learning how beneficial it is to have a regular time of rest with the Lord. It’s been interesting going from IWU, where there are never-ending spiritual growth opportunities scheduled out for you, to LCC, where there is non-mandatory chapel once a week and you have to seek your own growth opportunities. This has turned out to be a good thing for me. I feel like I am encountering the Lord constantly, and none of it was structured for me. I have also returned to being brave, adventurous, and spontaneous. I can remember being this way at other times before, but at some point down the line, I boxed myself in too much. I lost some of my day-to-day enthusiasm and joy because I missed all the little things that make each day worthwhile. There is so much to smile about… sometimes I just need to open my eyes and see it. Not to mention, you discover that the view is pretty incredible when you go out on a limb every once in a while. As a result of all this, my confidence has already grown. I am excited to see how this continues throughout the semester! Oh, and an update on the mystery meat… I learned that “Soviet Sausage” is actually the kind of sausage. It is named that because in Soviet times, all of the meat was highly regulated and pure. My sausage actually was 100% pork. I still didn’t like the texture or the taste, but at least I know it was pork. I suppose I’ve never been a big fan of ground up, packed together meat, though. Like a fortune cookie, I am going to teach you a phrase (but not in Chinese, of course). How to say “good morning” in Lithuanian: Labas rytas! :)
2 Comments
1/28/2014 10:26:38 pm
Katie, So glad you have the blog. Your insights are so amazing. You & the Lord have such a connection. It is inspiring to read how He is working in you life and how you are seeing Him leading in the events you are having. Still dealing with the cold here today. Tomorrow warming up enough to give us more snow. Have wonderful day. - pm
Reply
Shelley Wanner
1/30/2014 05:28:23 am
Love this, Katie! I believe that you can and should learn something new about yourself every day...(well, almost every day). I am a lot older than you are and still learning. And sometimes we really surprise ourselves, too! <3
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi, I'm Katie... just a girl, living this adventure for the glory of God. Thanks for reading! Archives
December 2020
Categories |