Today I asked one of my dear friends to share her story with you. She is an amazing young woman who I have had the privilege of watching God do a tremendous work in her life this year. I prayed for three years that she would move to Missouri and attend the college I did because I knew it would be a life changing experience for her. I knew that her getting away and experiencing God would change her life. I’ve known this girl for a long time, we have been with each other through a lot and we really understand each other’s trials. I am so excited that she can no share with you what God has done in her life! Be sure to leave her some love!
*******************************************************************************
spoken of very often. It is filled with deep hurt, scars, and what seemed like
forever to get to the happy ending- (or what you would call the present). To
see and appreciate where a person is now, one must see where he or she came
from, but we will get to that later.
first year at James River Leadership College: aka, Bible College. Not something
everyone dreams about! I was one of those people. Never in a million years
would I have said that I would go to a bible college of any sort, but here I am
and it couldn’t have been a better decision. This year was filled with classes
I enjoyed, new people I grew to love, and great experiences working in the
church. Along with all the great things that have taken place, there were many
trying and testing experiences as well.
excited for a new beginning and even more excited to get away from the only
thing I have known. I was always doing something, or hanging out with someone outside
of my church family. Not really taking time focusing on what was important. I
was not developing myself as a young woman, instead I was allowing others to
rule and regulate my emotions and thoughts. I got involved with many things
that in no way helped me. They harmed me spiritually, mentally, and
emotionally. I can say I got lost very quickly, not knowing who I was and what
I stood for. I was a chameleon; I changed depending on what group of people I
was around. It didn’t take long before I was no longer Rebecca. I looked in the
mirror and saw a stranger. I didn’t want to admit it, so I continued to go with
the flow. I had people who were pulling me aside and praying for me, trying to
help me see I could be better. It took me moving 1,200 miles away from home to
see that I needed to change. I thought moving away was enough change, but I was
quickly reminded of the things I had shoved under the rug for so long. I tried
ignoring them, pushing them away as far as I could until I had a rude
awakening. I was going through counseling and all my secrets had to come out. I
found that I had no sense of how much God loved me.
Throughout the remainder of the school year, I was
constantly reminded of that love. People I had never met or had any connection
to came to tell me how special I am and that God has such an amazing amount of
unconditional love for me. I was overwhelmed and I finally understood what love
was truly about. It was the best time of my life to grasp that concept. It took
me twenty years to get it but now it is never leaving me. It’s amazing the
growth one can do in seven months. Those seven months of tears and being broken
were all worth the fight to be built back up. Never will it be forgotten. Never
will it be a regret in my mind
Leave a Reply