Bitter Sweet

Goodbyes are rarely easy and often times change, although it can be good and necessary, can be extremely difficult as well. As most of you now know, I will be leaving this Fall to finish up my remaining two years of college at The Master's College. Although I am very excited to see what God has in store it is bitter sweet for me. I am saddened by the fact that although I will be back occasionally, it won't be the same in many ways. I will dearly miss Compass Bible Church and more importantly the amazing high school students and leaders who I have been privileged to serve with and lead and blessed immensely by. I am sad to leave my family who really are the joy of my life and my biggest encouragement in so many ways. And friends who could never be replaced. I will seize this summer for His glory and redeem as much time for Him as I invest in the lives of others this summer. I thought I would share with you all why I wanted to go to maybe clarify the work God is doing in my life at this point.

God has given each individual different gifts and/or talents that were designed to be used as tools for His glory. Whether your talent is in service or leadership, each gift is uniquely vital to the Body of Christ as a whole and as Romans 12 reminds us, the Body cannot function without each member. God has given many of His children the privilege to attain a higher education in order to fine-tune the gifts He has bestowed upon each one. Through this ‘refining’ process God continues to mold His children more and more into the image of His Son, and instills a vast plethora of wisdom for them to carry with them wherever He may lead. As we are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we are led exactly where He wants us to be (Proverbs 3:5-7). It is at this turning point in my life that the Lord has laid before me a blessed opportunity to gain not only knowledge for the future, but biblical wisdom that will not only equip me as a saint, but deepen my love for our Maker.
The Master’s College is rare in that it offers a sound biblical education, one that does not shy away from the true Word of God and that shapes young adults to go into the world and preach the good news (Matthew 28). My desire is not only to obtain more knowledge, but to also develop a deeper understanding and love for the Word and for the Lord. God has blessed me with a few gifts that I pray will be used for Him. One of those is encouragement/discipleship. I know that the Lord has continually placed younger, less spiritually mature girls in my path in order that He might use me to sharpen them or guide/train them. At Master’s I pray that the classes I take (hopefully some in biblical counseling) will equip me more sufficiently in disciplining and sharpening others in the faith. In fact I am in prayer right now as to whether or not to major in biblical counseling or to stick with my original liberal studies plan.
I truly believe God wants me to be a teacher. Whether that means to teach in an elementary school in a school in Orange County, at a women’s bible study in Colorado, or at a boarding school in Africa, I don’t know. I hope that the education that I receive at The Master’s College will equip me for wherever God leads. Jeremiah 29:11 provides assurance in that I can trust in God’s faithful promises and plan for not only my life, but for the lives of each and every faithful follower of Christ on this planet. God promises us in Hebrews 13 that He will equip us for every good work, what a truly refreshing and peace-bringing promise that is.
Why do I want to go to the Master’s college you might ask and my honest answer is to gain a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ and to obtain more wisdom in the areas that God has gifted me in. I hope that I will also build strong relationships with other like-minded followers of our Lord and that together we might be strengthened and sharpened. I pray that God brings people into my life, even at Master’s that I might share His grace with and that He gives countless opportunities for me to bring glory and honor to His name.
The question begs where I see myself in two years from now when I graduate, or even farther down the road and I can’t give you a definite answer. My desire to teach, to be a Godly wife and mother and woman of the Lord come secondary to my purpose of glorifying the Lord and spreading His name throughout all the earth. I could tell you that I see myself graduating in two years and continuing as a graduate student, but whether that is necessarily where God will have or want me in two years that I don’t know. A wise woman once told me be willing to do what God asks, wherever He asks, and whenever He asks. I can promise you this that I will keep on running the race that I have been called to, I will continue to ask for strength to pick up my cross and follow Him daily, and I will continue to strive to know and love our Savior with my whole heart.
I know that God has given me an opportunity here and it is a privilege and a blessing in and of itself. With this higher education I pray I will reach more for His name. Not everyone is afforded the option of going to college, or even more importantly a sound God-centered College in which they will be strengthened, encouraged, challenged and equipped on a daily basis. I can only thank the Lord for His loving kindness as Jeremiah writes. So why do I want to go away and what are my future plans, I think the Westminster Catechism puts it short and sweet, “To glorify God by enjoying Him forever!”