Faith. Hope. & Love.

FAITH. Such a simple word, with such a deep meaning. Well, to me anyway. HOPE. A four letter word that gets millions of people through the day. and of course, LOVE. The word every one seeks in some form & can change a person in an instant. I never really thought about these words much before college, but they all connect together. One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 12:12 "Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble & never stop praying." The first time I heard that, it comforted me. Read it again.

So, I pictured college to be a party every night and get to homework if I had time. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to socialize and have a good time, but my fun may be different from yours, & I'm learning that, that is perfectly okay. I tried the Thirsty Thursday thing and all, but I found I'd much rather be with a bunch of close friends, laughing, playing games, and maybe having a few drinks here and there, but to be honest, I'm perfectly fine cuddled up on the couch reading a book on a Thursday night. A favorite quote of mine "Don't feel stupid if you don't like what everyone else pretends to love." I'm not saying people don't honestly enjoy "partying," but I know a lot of people that feel like they "have to" & that makes me sad. I was one of them.

Which brings me to my main point. When I lived with my parents we went to church every Sunday and I prayed here and there, but getting to college opened my eyes. I was on my own. I could skip church, I could skip class, I could have ice cream for breakfast. But what I found funny, was I didn't want to do those things. I liked how things were. The first few weeks were tough for me, I'll be honest. I was home sick and a lot of my new friends didn't have the same "idea of fun," and I wasn't sure I was in the right major.

So, I prayed.

At this time I was looking for an apartment for the following year and was stressed about not having a roommate, then I was stressed because I never was in a spot with "no close friends" before & was constantly wondering if I was in the right major.

So, God answered.

That Monday, I met this nice girl in the waffle line at lunch. We talked and laughed, but never exchanged names. That same week I got a job at the "Child Care Center" and met an amazing teacher that kept telling me I needed to switch my major, because "I was a natural teacher." Then, when walking to class I got an e-mail saying there was a "Catholic Newman Organization" that week. Long story short, a few days passed and I had a lot of hope with my new job & all. I patiently waited for that "Newman" get together because I knew it'd help my faith grow. That night that I walked to that new organization, I saw the "waffle" girl, and the priest announced that there was an opening for an apartment that the church was renting out for next year. After that week, how couldn't I believe!?

I apologize for such a long post, but it's something I really wanted to share. Now, every morning I read a verse out of my Bible and try to ponder on it through out the day. What troubles are you facing? Is your hope making you glad? Are you being patient in time of trouble? and most importantly, are you praying?

P.S. A week after these amazing "signs" I switched my major to Early Childhood Education, with a minor in my old major-Human Development and Family Studies. Let the journey begin!