Unexpected Blessings

Peace
Acceptance
Love
Grace
Beauty
Wonder
Amazing
Awesomeness
Creative
Protector
Father
Mother
Friend

          All of these words are words that I would use to describe our Lord. Over these past several weeks, God has done an amazing work in my life to show me that God is in fact alive and well in our lives and that The Lord of our lives wants the very best for us and loves us with a love that we can never even describe to others.

          Wow, I honestly don't even know how to describe these last few weeks and the beauty that God has brought into my life that felt like a desert for such a long time. Over the last few weeks, God has done some pretty incredible things and I just want to share them with you.

          My family can not afford to pay my way through college and as much as they love me and do for me, its just impossible with the other bills and responsibilities that they have, for them to be able to pay for me to go to college as well and that is completely understandable. So during Thanksgiving break, my heart was just really convicted by how much my parents and grandparents sacrifice for me to be where I am today and I began to feel guilty for attending a school that is 5 hours from home and rather expensive. So after some tought love conversations with my parents, I decided to look at some schools around here for the Spring semester to try to help my family out.

         Let me just tell you, those clicks of the mouse to Central Virginia Community College and a few other schools were some of the hardest clicks I have ever had to make. I couldn't stop crying thinking of the possibililty of having to leave my friends in just a couple of weeks to come home and live with my parents where I have no friends near since all of my close friends are in college some where else. I cried and cried and cried. I cried out to the Lord begging God to show me what was to be done for the upcoming semester. I cried out, without an answer, but longing to be filled with peace and reassurance.

          Can I just tell you that I have the most beautiful friends in the entire world. I had a beautiful friend who allowed me to come to her house and let me literally lay in her living room floor and bawl my eyes out while she played with my hair and she prayed the words that I didn't know how to pray because I was angry. I had friends who prayed for me and let me talk and gave me advice. I had the love of Christ shown to me through so many people over the past few weeks and it has been incredibly beautiful.

          I went back to school on the Monday after Thanksgiving and then that Thursday got an email saying that I had receieved more scholarship money for this upcoming semester that would cover everything but my room and board. I then got asked to live in a town house with some girls next semester and therefore signed the lease to that, but very apprehensively. Then about 20 minutes before I was leaving to come home for break, I got a phone call from a beautiful Christlike woman who asked me if I would be interested in living in their home next semester.

          This just goes to show that we never know what God is going to do in our lives. We never know how The Lord will bless our lives when we least expect it but we must remember that at all times, God is in the background working for the good of those who love God and live in according to God's purposes.

          I am incredibly blessed to have next semester at Carson-Newman. I don't know how God is going to use this next semester to bring glory to Godself, but I know that there is going to be something great that comes out of all of this. It is very obvious that God wants me at Carson-Newman next semester and it is no mistake or random act of kindness that allowed me to stay at CN.

          Father God, I bring you praise tonight as I sit in my warm and cozy bed. Thank you for your love and your grace. Thank you for loving me and caring for me even during the time that I was angry with your because I couldn't see your plan at work. I'm sorry that I let circumstances keep us from growing closer this semester. God, please show me what you would have me do this upcoming semester. Show me your plans and your purposes. God I pray that this time that I have to live with a beautiful family is a time that is blessed beyond what my finite mind can even imagine right now. I honestly can not imagine or fathom the blessings and the healing and the beauty that is going to come through next semester! Thank You Father for holding me in your loving embrace even when I twist and turn to be let loose of your embrace. Thank you for seeing the good in me when I don't see it in myself. Thank you for seeing my potential when I just see a muddled mess!

Hope you all have a blessed Christmas with Family and loved ones!

Blessings,
Jaime