Friends, the end of college is near for me! Less than 5 weeks from now, I'm going to be a college graduate. An official grown-up.
This semester, I've gone from being so excited to graduate to so sad that I'm graduating to completely at peace about it to somewhere in between.
Lately, I've been somewhere in between. I can't wait to not have homework to do, papers to write, and tests to study for. But I'll miss spending time with people doing that homework, writing those papers, and studying for those tests. I'll miss the community.
These mixed emotions have been making me a little bit weepy. This is such a bittersweet time of life. It's really easy to make me cry right now! With the tears coming more easily than usual (and let's be real: I'm already a cry baby), I've been thinking a lot about where I find strength.
I think that my first instinct is to look to myself for strength.
"Maybe if I give myself a little pep talk, I won't feel so sad. Buck up, sport. Suck it up. Pull yourself together."
That usually doesn't work though.
Sometimes I look to others for strength. But people don't do and say what I want all the time. They don't always want to listen and they don't always say the right thing. They fall short.
While I'm trying to solve my own problems and wipe my own tears, God is just waiting for me to share them all with him. I think we sometimes think that we shouldn't bother God with our "minor" problems.
"I'll save my time with God for the big things. I can handle the little ones," we say.
Well guess what? Our time with God is all the time and having an intimate relationship with him means sharing the small things, the big things, and everything in between. God wants us to share it all with him. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad, everything. When we share it all with God, he lifts the burden of our weaknesses and uses them for his glory.
Maybe you're like me getting ready to graduate. Maybe you're just going through a tough time. Maybe this is a happy time for you. Whatever your circumstances, I urge you to rely on our Jesus for the strength that you can only find in him. Tell him about it all. He wants to rejoice with you in the happy times and be your shoulder to cry on in sad times. He wants to calm the storm when you're anxious. He wants to be our peace and our guide.
Friends, I'm praying for peace over your lives this week.
With love,
Erin
P.S. Go read Psalm 139 and Matthew 6-7. They're my current faves.