Waiting

 Today, my sister and I are waiting.

 Waiting to hear if we got the jobs we applied for.

 Me: a full time position at a home daycare filled with sweet kids I already love, who I already know will be a handful :)

 Grace: a part time job working at our local drug store

 Both jobs seem perfect for us. I love working with kids, investing in their lives, and like the informal job setting. Grace wants to get out of the house, to do something, to meet new people.

 But we have to wait.

 Me: While I wait I pray; I imagine getting the job and feeling the excitement, the relief; I imagine being rejected, not being chosen, beginning the job search again. I explore every emotion so that tomorrow there will be no surprises.

Grace: "We need these jobs," she says. "What do we do if we don't get them?"
            "Work at the hotel" I joke. "Housekeeping."
            "It's better than nothing. We could sing as we clean the rooms!"
             And then she is on to her next thing, her next drawing, the fun night she has planned with friends.

 The numbers are worse for her. Only two other girls want my job while many people want hers.

 But God can do amazing things. I trust His will will be done whether we find it favorable or not. He is always faithful.
           

God's Sovereignty in the Mundane

 

 I want to be a woman who goes through the mundane things of this life with grace and thanksgiving. I want to be a woman who sings as she washes dishes, laughs when children make sticky messes, and is still kind to others while struggling to find a job.

 I want to be a woman who trusts and believes in the sovereignty of God through pain, joy, and everyday life. Because at least for me right now, every day life is the hardest part.

 When my grandfather died last October I was devastated. But I knew how to cry, how to grieve, how to share with others, how to ask for help and prayer, how to cry out to God.

 When I was offered an exciting academic opportunity for next semester I knew how to celebrate, how to lay on my bed incredulous, how to thank God, how to share my joy with friends.

 Now, as I navigate my summer as a 21 year old that feels 16 again as I live in the house that has been my home since the age of five, as I am treated like a visitor in my home church, as I try to find a job that is at least somewhat related to my creative writing major, as I begin classes after just finishing them, as friends leave for far and exciting places and leave me behind, I don't know what to do. I feel more lost in the mediocre.

 However, God's sovereignty has not collapsed just because I am dealing with seemingly mundane things. He is with me in my pain, my joy, and everyday life. Why should I treat job searching and washing dishes any differently than a death in the family or an exciting adventure? Through it all, God is with me and has an amazing plan for me even if it is working at a seemingly meaningless job and taking a geography class during the summer.

 I need to glorify God through death, joyful opportunities, and loads of dirty dishes, because in the end, when I stand before my maker, the circumstances will not matter. Only my response will.

 So I pray I will dance with the broom, study hard for summer exams, and focus on glorifying God in whatever way he chooses to bless me with money.

The Beginning of Summer

 It is now summer. That glorious time of year where I can take walks outside again and lay in the grass listening to the trees and the birds. When I am reunited with my family.

 Yesterday, my sister had to finish a painting for her water colors class, and we both painted on the back deck. It was wonderful to feel the heat of the sun and spend time with my sister who I haven't seen in three months.

 Yet at least for me, it is so easy to be lazy during the summer. I just finished a crazy week of finals, packed my entire life, and said goodbye to my school, friends, church, and Michigan. I got up at 3:30 am to catch a plane. I am now fighting a cold. And for the first time in three months I am sleeping well. So I wish I could just take a break.

 A break is good. But I have so much to do.

 To Do Summer 2015

1. Get a job
2. Write 20-35 pages of my novel
3. Paint
4. Take Intro to Photography and World Geography at my community college
5. Jog
6. Read all of the books on my summer reading list
7. Hike Camel's Hump with Dad
8. Start my singleness blog

Will you pray with me that my summer will be relaxing, productive, and glorifying to God?