my world is about to become a little bigger.
the verdict is in. i'm going to washington state university, grad school extraordinaire.
can we say terrifying? amazing? humbling? i don't even know where to begin.
for you who don't exactly know the ramifications or the story behind this revelation, allow me to give you a quick recap. back in october, i applied for a graduate assistantship at WSU to head up the Experiential Education department there under their recreation center. i had no hopes of getting the job, but was utterly astonished when, just a few days before i graduated, i received a phone call stating i was a finalist for the position. a few weeks later, i receieved notice that i had been chosen for this job. i was floored, and literally fell to the ground (at Epcot Center in Disneyworld, no less. slightly embarassing, to say the least. hehe.) well, since then, there has been red tape after red tape stopping my every move and effort to get in. i could only accept the position on the terms that i would get into grad school. more problems -- the program i applied for was closed off for the year...no applications ANYWHERE. therefore, i had a decision to make -- apply for another program, one i don't want, or give up the position and my dream. i prayed, i felt peace, and i made the move to just try. this meant taking the GRE on 2 weeks notice, reapplying, sending new applications & recommendations...and basically giving all i could. then, it was in the Lord's hands. and well, He honored this effort with placing me in grad school. so, hello washington!
going to a new place means a whole new life, and now i am only beginning to see the full ramifications of this acceptance. that was the easy part -- now i am restarting my entire life, and i have only a few short weeks to do it in. but to be honest, now is not the time to think about all of this. nope. all that stress can wait. there's something i must do before i even think about washington. something that i messed up with california.
i love Oswald Chambers. the lovely Hope Hardaway started my journey with good old Ozzie this past summer, starting out mornings out at breakfast with a daily dose of his God-driven wisdom. so, i bought the book, and each day its been a kick in the pants because i literally see on the pages before my eyes God's direct words to my life. Oz wrote this simple passage about worship.
the verdict is in. i'm going to washington state university, grad school extraordinaire.
can we say terrifying? amazing? humbling? i don't even know where to begin.
for you who don't exactly know the ramifications or the story behind this revelation, allow me to give you a quick recap. back in october, i applied for a graduate assistantship at WSU to head up the Experiential Education department there under their recreation center. i had no hopes of getting the job, but was utterly astonished when, just a few days before i graduated, i received a phone call stating i was a finalist for the position. a few weeks later, i receieved notice that i had been chosen for this job. i was floored, and literally fell to the ground (at Epcot Center in Disneyworld, no less. slightly embarassing, to say the least. hehe.) well, since then, there has been red tape after red tape stopping my every move and effort to get in. i could only accept the position on the terms that i would get into grad school. more problems -- the program i applied for was closed off for the year...no applications ANYWHERE. therefore, i had a decision to make -- apply for another program, one i don't want, or give up the position and my dream. i prayed, i felt peace, and i made the move to just try. this meant taking the GRE on 2 weeks notice, reapplying, sending new applications & recommendations...and basically giving all i could. then, it was in the Lord's hands. and well, He honored this effort with placing me in grad school. so, hello washington!
going to a new place means a whole new life, and now i am only beginning to see the full ramifications of this acceptance. that was the easy part -- now i am restarting my entire life, and i have only a few short weeks to do it in. but to be honest, now is not the time to think about all of this. nope. all that stress can wait. there's something i must do before i even think about washington. something that i messed up with california.
i love Oswald Chambers. the lovely Hope Hardaway started my journey with good old Ozzie this past summer, starting out mornings out at breakfast with a daily dose of his God-driven wisdom. so, i bought the book, and each day its been a kick in the pants because i literally see on the pages before my eyes God's direct words to my life. Oz wrote this simple passage about worship.
"worship is giving God the best that He has given you. be careful what you do with the best you have. whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. if you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded."
see, i've been about this blessing thing all wrong. i pray to God, expecting to see Him act for my "betterment," and when He does come through for me, i thank Him...and then embark on my adventure. but i've forgotten to give to Him what is due. this blessing given to me is not mine to keep, not mine to enjoy alone.
it's all His. and His alone. that's why we live this life, isn't it? or, at least, this is how we ought to live -- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind." that means giving to Him every part of me...even the blessings He already has showered me with. that's why, before i dive into the crashing waves of uncertainty, excitement, and paperwork, i'm going to stop, and dedicate my blessing back to the Lord. i didn't do it with california, and now i am seeing the consequences of not being aware of what this blessing is. so its my time to give to the Lord what He's given to me. i want to honor Him with this blessing, you know? I don't want to do this Washington thing on my own, but rather, live this blessing guided by His loving hand.
"Listen! it's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level thr mountains and hills. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together! The LORD has spoken!'" -- Isaiah 40:3-6
it's all His. and His alone. that's why we live this life, isn't it? or, at least, this is how we ought to live -- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind." that means giving to Him every part of me...even the blessings He already has showered me with. that's why, before i dive into the crashing waves of uncertainty, excitement, and paperwork, i'm going to stop, and dedicate my blessing back to the Lord. i didn't do it with california, and now i am seeing the consequences of not being aware of what this blessing is. so its my time to give to the Lord what He's given to me. i want to honor Him with this blessing, you know? I don't want to do this Washington thing on my own, but rather, live this blessing guided by His loving hand.
"Listen! it's the voice of someone shouting, 'Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level thr mountains and hills. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together! The LORD has spoken!'" -- Isaiah 40:3-6
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