Change

Life is so full of constant change – small changes such as, “wait can I change my water order to a diet dr. pepper instead?” or you could be like me and your procrastination level causes you to change your room completely around. Then there is big change such as, change of schools, friend groups, and again in my case – a change in your major. Whatever changes going on around you or with you, the one always remaining constant is our God and in our constant change it can sometimes be hard to see that He is never changing. Whatever changes going on around you or with you, the one always remaining constant is our God and in our constant change it can sometimes be hard to see that He is never changing.

So, you may have caught that I changed my major. To some, this may seem like no big deal and they may kind of think “oh, what was even her major to begin with?” However, for me, the process was long and drawn out and was a very emotional time. Just for a little background, I came to Ole Miss and was a pharmacy major. In the middle of spring semester my sophomore year, I became unhappy with the major I had chosen but continued to just give it a chance. Over the summer, I had a realization that pharmacy was just not what God’s plan for my life was; however, being the stubborn person I am, I remained on track in classes to become a pharmacist ignoring His plan for my life. It was not until a couple weeks ago that I finally called my mom in tears just saying, “I cannot do this, and I do not want to be a pharmacist.” To my surprise, considering the only reason I was even able to come to Ole Miss was to become a pharmacist, my mom understood fully and we were able to talk through the situation. The weekend and the following week actually ended up being one of the worst of my entire life full of emotion and uncertainty. At this point, I was unsure if my place was even Ole Miss anymore and then more uncertainty came. I was struggling to design a plan for myself that God had already planned.

I went to bible study on Sunday after my not so great weekend and we all decided we were going to fast from something that was standing in between us becoming closer to God. One decided to fast from food and another decided to fast from social media; however, I realized I did not need to fast from anything physical. I needed to fast from worrying. I know this may sound crazy, but I consciously made an effort each morning to specifically pray for peace and comfort in my worrying. The first few days were still pretty brutal, I’m not going to lie. However, on Wednesday night, I read my devotion from that morning again. It was all about Satan’s lies telling us we have to worry about our future and we have to worry in general and that is his entire plan to draw us away from God. And in that moment, I realized enough was enough. I was no longer going to allow my worrying and uncertainty of what the future hold stand in between me and God, and I hit my knees on the ground and I just began to pray out loud to God. I just asked him to give me guidance where I needed it and faith where I did not, I asked for wisdom for the days to come rather than asking Him answers for the day to come. I finally put my trust in Him to guide my steps fully.

God is so faithful to guide us and provide exactly what we need and I don’t need to know what the future holds. I don’t have to know what is going to happen as long as I trust in the one who has created the perfect plan.

As much as I would love to say I realized this all on my own, I most certainly did not. God has blessed me abundantly with a strong group of prayer partners that were encouraging me throughout the week and constantly letting me know they were praying for me and listened to anything and everything I had to say.

My super cool prayer partners that really helped me throughout this change go by the names of Merritt Murray, Rebekah Smith, Abby Barker, Cara Stewart, and Morgan Blythe. I am just going to say a little bit about each of them because they are all awesome people and deserve this shout out.

This is my good friend, Merritt. I don’t tell her enough, but she has really helped me realize that God truly does have a plan for our life past what we can see. She has also shown me that there is no place we can run that God’s love does not still reach us and that He brings beauty from the ashes and mends broken hearts. She constantly reminds me to trust God’s plan for my life while also helping me realize that following His plan doesn’t always mean that it will bring happiness but that it will bring everlasting joy and fulfillment.

In the picture on the right is my super sweet pal Bek. She has quickly become a very close friend and she is one of my best prayer partners. I constantly receive encouragement and joy when engaging in a conversation with her. She also went through changing her major in the middle of her sophomore year and she understands how hard it can be. She has been a rock throughout it all and I am extremely thankful I have had her.

Abby Barker, wow, quite possibly the most positive person I have ever met. Her love and joy for life is so contagious and so uplifting. When going through the week I spoke of earlier, I woke up to a text message from her every morning with nothing but encouragement and reassurance in God’s perfect plan and was greeted with a hug when I saw her on campus. She was such an example of the love of Christ I so desperately needed that week and was such a beautiful constant in the hard days.

So, I met Cara by her asking me if my necklace was a ‘giving key’ and although it wasn’t, we just kind of made it one and now its out thing. We actually met a few days before my terrible week began. However, she was such a positive light and influence throughout the week and still to this day. She reminded me daily that she was praying for me and that I was not forgotten. She is also one of the funniest people I have ever met and she constantly kept me laughing with her snapchats. Although she was just a small positivity in such a negative time, it meant so much more than a few laughs. It lifted my spirits and allowed me to remain positive when Satan was screaming at me to pour out negativity.

Last but certainly not least is, my girl, Morgan Leighanne Blythe. Morgan and I met at grove clean up at the beginning of the semester, and if you read my personal blog, she is the one that I was with when I took my drastic fall. Morgan quickly became one of my best friends and is so loved. Morgan has such a huge heart for Christ and a light that shines brighter than possibly anybody I have ever met. I am so thankful for her constant prayer reminders and the love she has poured into me.

When I think about James 5:16 (NIV) “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” – these are the people I think of. These are the kind of people Jesus is talking about. The people that are going to listen to your hearts and your struggles and offer you godly advice and in turn pray for you and your life and your relationship with Christ.

There is actually a group message we have called “Super Cool Prayer Partners” and it is just what it says –super cool prayer partners. I am constantly being poured into with encouragement and love and I get to pour back in and it is truly beautiful to see God work within just a few girls. Life is hard but His promise remains, He is so faithful and He is there for us and He will meet our needs and directs our paths and He has truly shown this through this group of girls.

I know this one was kind of scattered but I hope you truly see from it is that the main thing I am trying to say is yes –change is hard, sloppy, and sad but it is inevitable. However, God is unchanging and when everything around us is changing He is not and we have to trust in His perfect plan. The second thing is that throughout the chaos of change and trusting God’s plan –I have learned the only way to be sure you are trusting Him is accountability the help of your ~super cool prayer partners~ so GET SOME –I promise you wont be disappointed.