This past month has been kind of crazy and I don't expect for things to be slowing down anytime soon, but I have been spending a lot of time this past week reflecting on my life and on how great my God is. My reflecting on life by the reflection pond on campus is actually why I currently have a cold (note to self: don't sit outside by the reflection pond at night in cold weather for two hours without a jacket). Despite the fact that I am feeling sub par, I wanted to just take a moment to brag on my God and also remind y'all that God's plans for us are always far superior than ours, even if it isn't obvious at the time, which is something that I have to remind myself frequently. I love to know how things are going to go and what's going to happen and when it's going to happen. To put it simply, I love having things go according to my plans, but my plans don't always align with God's plans for my life.

Four years ago, I was struggling with various health issues and we weren't sure what was going on or how to fix them. I remember wondering why God would put me through something so hard if He loved me, little did I know that God would turn my struggles into blessings. God used these difficult times to strengthen my faith and to shape me into the person that I am today. Honestly, if I could have chosen my path, it definitely wouldn't have been the path that involved illnesses because it was a really troublesome time for me, but God had greater plans for me than I had for myself. Thinking back to this time makes me think of one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ("The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it."). I think of this Bible verse because I personally saw through my healing that God was indeed faithful and that He will keep His promises to us.

Lately, I have also been thinking about what I was doing this time last year. In April of 2017, I was spending my days chilling at home with my two sweet puppies, Tucker and Tanner, while finishing out my senior year of high school online. I think back to January 2, 2017 when I officially announced my decision to continue my education at Charleston Southern University (Go Bucs!) and I remember spending what seemed like forever trying to get the perfect Boomerang for Instagram (shoutout to Jordan and Ashley for helping me with that). I look back at these times and I can't help but smile. I smile not only because these are great memories, but because so much has changed since then and God has done so much in and through me.

Thinking about my senior year of high school, I think about how I had senioritis to the extreme. I wanted to go ahead and finish high school and move on, but I had no clue where I would be moving on to. I had started my college search with 8 colleges and my parents and I toured all 8 schools in a week. I remember eliminating 3 colleges almost immediately after touring because I could tell right off the bat that I didn't belong at any of those. Then, there were five choices left. I remember being stuck on these five and not knowing where I wanted to go. After much prayer, I was able to eliminate two of these choices, leaving three possible schools. I remember one day breaking down in tears mid-prayer because I didn't know where I should go and I was torn. I didn't want to make the wrong choice and end up being miserable during my first year at college. I finally made the decision to go to CSU and at the time, I had no clue how much my life would change with that decision.

I found out about Charleston Southern University through the CollegeBoard's BigFuture College Search. I had performed a search for colleges in South Carolina with both of the majors that I was interested in at the time (Computer Science and Early Childhood Education), that accepted AP credits, and that would accept me based on my test scores. I came across many colleges and I had heard of most of them except for Charleston Southern University and a few others. I was immediately interested in CSU after I found out that it was a faith-based institution that was about 30 minutes away from downtown Charleston. I put it on my list but I hadn't seriously considered it until I got to tour the campus. All of my life, I had planned on attending the University of South Carolina (Go Cocks!) but after touring CSU I realized that without expecting it, I had found my home for the next four years. After my tour, I remember talking with my parents and both of them said that they felt this overwhelming sense of peace throughout the tour. Looking back on it, I know now that that sense of peace that my parents and I felt was God trying to give me a glimpse of His plans for me.

I think back to when I moved into my dorm back in August of 2017. I was nervous to meet my roommates and also stressed because packing and unpacking is not a fun process. I remember wondering if this would be a place that I would grow to love and if I would enjoy myself here. The truth is that God brought me to this amazing place and introduced me to some incredible people because He loves me and while it may not have been in my plan, it was in His plan all along. Everything that has ever happened to me has just been preparation for what God has had in store for my life. I never would have guessed that God would use my isolation from when I was sick to motivate me to take advantage of every opportunity outside of my comfort zone, including a mission trip to Puerto Rico. If I hadn't had to cope with illnesses for the period of time that I did, I wouldn't have felt the need to serve Him in Puerto Rico during my spring break. If I hadn't gone on that trip, I wouldn't have met some of the great friends that I have met and I would have missed out on one of the most life-changing and incredible experiences.

Had you told me a couple of years ago that I would be attending CSU and that I would spend my spring break serving the Lord by serving the people of Puerto Rico in their time of need, I would have told you that you were insane. I didn't plan on attending a Christian university, or a university other than the University of South Carolina for that matter. I didn't plan on loving this school as much as I do. I didn't plan on taking a leap of faith and going on a trip outside of the continental U.S. with people that I didn't know during my spring break rather than going on a vacation. I didn't plan on ever being grateful for the time in my life where I was sick. In fact, I didn't plan on writing for The Odyssey Online and I definitely didn't plan on ever writing openly about my faith like I am doing right now. My life definitely has not gone according to what I would have planned, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can say without any hesitation that I love the life that God has given me and I am so blessed to be a student at CSU, to know the people that I now know, to have experienced the things that I have experienced and to be able to serve my awesome God.

I hope that this article inspires you or maybe relieves some of your anxieties about the future. I just want you to know that God is in control and that His love for us and His plans for us are greater than we could possibly imagine. Times might get tough and things may not go the way you want them to, but God knows what He's doing and, if you ever need a simple reminder of that, check out Jeremiah 29:11.