The Path of Peace

Well, midterms are next week. Which means that I am already half way through my third semester as a student at the University of Georgia, I cannot believe time has passed this quickly. However, this time has not passed without its blessings and struggles, lessons and mistakes, and stresses and reliefs. To say I have grown since the beginning of my freshmen year would be the understatement of the year. I have learned more about who I am and whose I am in the past year and a half that I even knew was possible. Looking back at freshmen year, I have realized that all of the trials and struggles that I had led me to be where I am right now and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. By having this realization, it is only helped me further grasp the concept of God’s plan for my life. At the time of those tough times my freshmen year, I could not see why on earth God was putting me through them, but now as I look back on them, I know exactly why He did it. This has given me such a positive outlook on this semester, reminding me that through my trials and struggles, God has a plan and it is perfect. Which leads in me into what I want to talk about. God has really been working in my heart lately. I feel more at peace with everything in my life than I ever have and I know it is not because my life is peaceful. I am busier than ever. I am constantly doing something, whether it is studying, cleaning, volunteering, meeting, or socializing, I feel like I never stop moving. Although I LOVE to be busy, it can be a lot to juggle all at once. In this constant activity, I have begun to look to God through it all to find peace during a hard, busy, or stressful day. Even the days where I am not as busy, not as stressed, or not as tired, I still look to God to find peace in the calmness. Last week, I read a verse in Jesus Calling that really caught my attention. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he CARES for you.” I have read this verse too many times to count, but I never really stopped to think of the impact that it could have on my daily life. Over the summer, I really learned what it meant to “cast my anxiety” onto God and give Him all my stress, worries, praises, and thoughts. Ever since then, it is has been a constant growing process of me fighting with control over my own life versus giving it all up God. As I am a person who loves control and loves to know what is going to happen, you could see how this would be difficult. But through lots of prayer and lots of perseverance, I have begun the slow, but steady process of giving everything to Him throughout my day to day life. It has been hard to get use to, but I cannot even begin to put into words what a positive impact it has had on my life. It was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders and I am at such peace with everything even in the midst of my 5 meetings, 18 hours of school, and 10 hours of volunteering a week (yes, crazy I know!). in the Jesus Calling devotion where I read 1 Peter 5:7, it also said this: “Commit everything into My care. Turn from the path of planning to the path of peace.” As I have started my transition from the path of planning to the path of peace, I could not be more in awe of God and His desire to know and love me. I hope that this encourages you to trust in God and give your worries, stresses, and even praises over to Him everyday.

I hope you have a wonderful, blessed week!