June 26th probably isn't a significant date to most people. Indeed, ordinarily it isn't for me either. But the older I get, the more I learn that life is anything but ordinary. Today is a tiny milestone...because it means I am only 2 months away from living the mysterious college student life!
Until today, the only people to know all my near-future/college plans fell into 2 categories:
- A family member or close friend that I have seen and told in person.
- A pen-pal/friend who got a personal letter that described my plans.
These are my favorite forms of communication about my life, so I don't tend to go beyond these methods. But if you're outside one of these 2 groups, you may still be wondering what came of the end to my New Year's review post where I suggested the prospect of college ahead.
Although I was uncertain about pursuing college, I still applied to my top 2 options--Corban University and Bob Jones University. The past several months have been spent gathering advice from family and close friends (most of whom also said I am just "the college type of person." I'm not really sure what that means...) to help me in this major decision. Every one of them highly encouraged me to pursue college. And for some reason I felt like God was pushing me in that direction despite my hesitation.
Although I was uncertain about pursuing college, I still applied to my top 2 options--Corban University and Bob Jones University. The past several months have been spent gathering advice from family and close friends (most of whom also said I am just "the college type of person." I'm not really sure what that means...) to help me in this major decision. Every one of them highly encouraged me to pursue college. And for some reason I felt like God was pushing me in that direction despite my hesitation.
After I decided to just take the leap into college, choosing between the two schools still lay before me; and this decision was agonizing. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of those people who'd always wanted to be in a certain field at a certain college with the whole future perfectly planned out. (I envy those people.) As soon as I was ready to make a final decision on one school, the exact opposite one started to sound superior. I spent weeks and months weighing the positives and negatives of both campuses and most of all praying. But now here I am--so thankful to have that decision behind me--all signed up to be at Bob Jones University in 2 months.
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| I took this picture when I visited campus with my sister and parents in 2014! Back then, my attending here was a "no." |
I have received negative comments from many people over my decision. Numerous friends and acquaintances have said things such as "Why so far away?" "Don't you know how conservative that school is?" "You must be pretty adventurous." It all ties into this:
~WHY?~
There are 2 primary reasons I made the decision that I did. (And one of them is not because I'm adventurous. As someone who hates change, despises moving, and does not thrive on crowds, I'm pretty sure I don't qualify for adventurous.)
- Regret factor: my brother told me that avoiding college now might lead to regret in the future. This drove me to go for college in the first place. Then I went a step further: Attending Bob Jones University was a place that I had visited with my dad and then began to dream about for my own future. For the past 3 years, the idea of being a BJU student has been somewhere in the back of my mind, and I didn't want the possibility of looking back on life and wondering why I never followed through.
- Standards I appreciate: a lot of people know about the standards on campus and see them as rules and legalism. But when I saw the standards, I saw a desire to be professional and to glorify God. I saw a place that was so committed to encouraging a life-style that they believe is honoring to God and helping students establish safety away from home. That's what I want. I'm not looking for legalism or unnecessary rules. I want to put myself in a position that inspires my walk with God, and I believe Bob Jones University will help me grow in the Lord and put Him first 100%.
To those of you who ask if I'm excited, all I have to say is "HAHAHA." It is far outside my comfort zone, but I am confident that He is "continually with me" in the changes ahead. With 2 months to go before college begins, I believe that God is taking my right hand and leading me to a place that will prepare me to serve Him more fully. That is what I'm excited about.
(I am loving Psalm 73:23 right now.)
"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'this is the way, walk in it.'"
Isaiah 30:21
Isaiah 30:21
Fantastic! Thanks for your mature and God-honoring insights! We can't wait to have you as part of the BJU family.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I am looking forward to all that God has waiting for me at BJU!!
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