grateful

only three words can summarize my first month in waco: GRATEFUL. FULLNESS. JOY. praise the Lord!

exactly a month ago, my heart was anxious about leaving my family to go to college again, and not just college-- a completely new college. even as my mom and i made the trip to texas together, i was a mixture of excited and nervous. what did Jesus have in store for me in waco? i could only pray and try to affirm what i knew about the Lord-- he is faithful, he's never leaving me, and he is good.

well y'all, let me tell ya what. his faithfulness has knocked my socks off and rocked my world in the best way possible. my heart is SO full. i have felt the Lord's peace consistently-- the peace that passes all understanding. his presence saturates this campus and he is moving.

he is continuing to stretch me to have more and more faith and is showing me there are lessons to be learned in the discomfort. once again, i am in a position of relying solely on the Lord. in the times of joy, i rejoice and trust him. in the times of loneliness, i still rejoice and trust him. he has led me here, and he hasn't failed me yet!

my goal for this year is to live life ABUNDANTLY and LOVE people extravagantly. everyone has a story, everyone has passions and things that make them who they are. everyone wants to be heard and known and loved. and i hope to never stop being captivated by the creator of all of my favorite things  and the ways he personally shows me he loves me (i'm lookin at you, sunsets/friends/family/queso/naps). it is SO well with my soul. :)

"i want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. and i don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. i want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. i want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and i want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad he gave life to someone who loves the gift." -shauna niequist