A Challenge

Today in church, we sang a song called "Center". I have heard the song before, but hadn't paid much attention to the lyrics. The lyrics to this song are pretty simple, but the message they convey is such an incredible challenge. If everyone made this their prayer and truly tried to live it out, I think this world would be such a different place. It is easy to claim that Christ is at the center of our lives, but if people were to ask our families, friends, and co-workers, would they testify to that based on our actions? I know many days my words and actions don't support that claim, unfortunately. It was a challenge to me today to really make a conscious effort to live life with Christ at the center, and I welcome anyone to take on this challenge with me. I've included a link to a video of the song for those who want to hear it. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuX4bSHfDvs

The 5 Year Plan...or lack thereof

Happy 2009, everybody!! I know it's about a month late, but better than never, right? I have been meaning to update this for a few weeks now, but I didn't know how to piece it all together...I did in fact get accepted into the online Masters program for youth ministry through Huntington University. I was scheduled to start in December, but I started to have doubts about whether or not this was the right time in my life for taking on this new challenge. I was right. I called and cancelled enrollment, and they were very accomadating and said maybe I could start up some semester later on...and I think that at some point, that really is something I would like to consider.



I had just reached a point where I felt like everything was coming off the tracks. I was unhappy with my job, stressed out, etc. etc. I knew I had to do something different or else I would just continue to be a thoroughly unpleasant person to be around :) So I quit my job with the support of my parents and no back up plan other than keep working 2 nights a month. I searched tirelessly for jobs, but I really wanted out of the hospital setting, so that quickly narrowed my options. I had a couple interviews here and there, but none were really jobs I was interested in. My personal favorite part of an interview (for a job i knew when i got there i didn't want), was when the person asked me where I saw myself in five years. I sat there for a second, looked at her and told her the truth....I don't really know. I don't really make plans like that because five years ago, I would never have thought I'd be where I am now. I'm pretty sure that caught her off guard. :)



This is the really fun part...I did finally get a job AND I think I'm going to really like it!!! It's for a health coaching company out of Franklin. I didn't think so when I started, but after two weeks of training, I think this is going to be a sort of foundation for change. I felt like I had hit a brick wall, but now I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. I want to eat better, I want to exercise...not because I have to or feel forced to, but because the environment I'm working in puts that desire in me. They encourage wellness in every aspect of your life and I love that. It's different walking into work and people are smiling, they don't look like they want to jump off a cliff...it's so different and so nice. I could elaborate on all these points, but I will stop for now, because I'm going to need some material for later entries.



Everybody needs a general life plan of some sort, but I wouldn't be too detailed with it. God's got a sense of humor, and that means a lot of our plans change. So if you don't know where you'll be in five years or what you'll be doing, that's OK, just let go, have some faith, and see where God has you land...you may just like it! Happy travels!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

So in case you haven't caught on, I usually don't update until I have something to write about, and sometimes that takes a while. Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote, and one of the major things is that I bought my first house! A real house, and it's mine. I LOVE IT!! This is a picture of the fireplace. This has become my place to come home and just rest. It's like my own private retreat. :) Now onto some other recent developments...

My heart has been so restless lately. It's hard to explain. I have pretty much decided to take the first step in pursuing my life's dream, and apply for graduate school for a masters in youth ministry. As a result, I have found myself facing so many doubts...what if this is what I want to do, not what God wants me to do, what if I am suppose to do something else, what if I'm no good, what if, what if, what if? On a positive note (kind of), I have found myself so convicted of my own sin. It is disgusting how immune I had become to it and how it seems all of a sudden I am so aware of it, and so put off by it. I know that if I'm to serve as an example to young people, there are things that need to change so that His light may shine brighter through me. I seem to have started out on a new leg of my journey, and I think I like what it may bring. Stay tuned for more on this topic, as I continue to learn more myself. Now it may seem like aimless rambling, but I know it will eventually all come together.

I got to go to Tampa this past weekend. I got to see so many old friends. It was such an awesome reminder of how incredibly blessed I am. I got to see and catch up with people I hadn't seen in two years, and some even longer, but we were able to pick up right where we left off. I got to catch up with my old coach, saw my old english teacher, stayed at a great friends' house, spent time just hanging out and laughing with old friends, went to a wedding. It was all great. I was so overwhelmed at church on Sunday- standing and worshipping with people who were instrumental in my high school experience, in a church that served as a foundation for those awkward teenage years. What made it even better was knowing that on the other side of my plane ride, I would be home with the people and the church that are so important to me now. God's grace is more than enough, and I am richly blessed. Home truly is where the heart is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y01rx_XzQ34

Footprints In The Snow

Footprints in the snow? I don't get it...let me explain. If you've ever seen a ski mountain after a fresh snow fall and before the runs open, it is brilliantly white...an uncharted territory if you will, and each person who gets on that mountain will leave their own personal tracks in the snow. Some will fall, leaving prints hiking up the snow to get all their gear together before they continue on their adventure, and others will leave a continuous line leading down the mountain. Fresh snow is the best to ski on! I have been given fresh snow! Today, I got a job at a hospital close to my apartment! This has been a long time coming, and there will be times when the ride will be smooth, and other times when it will be an uphill battle for me to get it all together and continue on. I know the trail won't always be easy, but it's fresh, and I have been given an opportunity to leave my mark...GOD IS SOO GOOD!!!

So here is the background to my excitement that can't truly be expressed right now...
In May, I graduated nursing school and took a job I didn't really want, but was thankful to have. I took it after a few rejections from potential employers that left my self-esteem shattered. Needless to say, I've felt like the past 8 or 9 months have been an uphill battle trying to prove myself worthy, and also swallowing my pride numerous times when answering questions like "why in the world do you want to work here?" (it's a 46 mile commute) I did not choose this job, it was the only option at the time (I will always be thankful for the paycheck it supplied). After battling the new nurse nerves on top of some pretty awkward and frustrating staff dynamics, plus spending half my income filling up my car and trying not to fall asleep at the wheel, my heart has felt heavy.

Now, after months of applications, interviews, set backs, and hope, I have arrived...a much happier me...relieved, and lighter with so much weight off my shoulders. I will be able to have a life...here...in my town, with my friends. I am ecstatic and incredibly grateful. In looking back, I can honestly say that I'm going to miss my co-workers on night shift because they have all been a huge support while going thorugh this, and I know that I was meant to be where I was for the time I was there, because I am confident it was God's answers to my prayers at that point (though it wasn't what I was hoping for) Please stay tuned for more updates. Ski this mountain with me, and please...enjoy the fresh powder along the way!!!

A New Year, A New Year

So it's January 20th, and some of those resolutions have already come and gone. Fresh starts are a funny thing. They are so freeing and so exciting, yet there is such familiarity and comfort in the current ways of life. This could be elaborated on, but I will choose to move on for now. There seem to be so many things I want to do/see/accomplish in this life. For instance, there is a part of me that wants to pursue emergency nursing, perhaps going to EMT school, and on to being a flight nurse. There's another part of me that wants nothing more than to form relationships with today' youth through youth ministry, with the ultimate dream of owning and running my own camp, or pursuing overseas work with youth. I also am interested in Big Sisters. Another part of me wants to take time and just travel the world and experience all it has to offer. There is still another side of me that wants to attempt writing a book, perhaps. I would also like to learn to play guitar and piano. Add on to that, learning Spanish and Sign Language. Did I mention I would also like to be in a television series? Oh, and I also want to own a home, get married and have a family. I would also like to..........well, you get the point. Some go hand in hand and some don't go together at all. For this reason, it will be interesting. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. The future is an unfamiliar, yet fantastically exciting thing, but for now, I will discover my future one day at a time, through the present, the here and now. For now, my future involves cleaning my apartment. Any volunteers?

So...It's ben a while...

I realize that I haven't updated in quite some time (if anyone reads this anyway). Let's see...I graduated in May, 2007. I then took and passed the NCLEX in June and became an official Registered Nurse (RN). It is crazy how quickly time passes! I am currently working the night shift on a cardiac step-down unit in a small county hospital. I don't particularly enjoy it, but it has been a decent starting point. I've had lots of experiences. I've lived and learned. I am ready to do something else, somewhere else. I had an interview this past Wednesday, but I'm not really sure how it went. I haven't heard anything back yet. However, even if I don't get the position, it is a step in the right direction. I feel like this year is going to bring about a lot of changes...and I think they will be good changes...I HOPE they will be good changes. I am going to make a committment to update this regularly, so if you are reading, please check back soon. Happy Trails,
Sarah

Time Is A Crazy Thing

So it's August now. How did that happen? So much has happened over the past two months. I survived my time in the ER. That was a huge accomplishment for me. I saw and did things that I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable doing or seeing. Granted, it took me a long time to really get the feel of it, I did and I really enjoyed it. That's over now and I look forward to clinicals this upcoming semester with hopes that this summer's experience will pay off. All that being said, I can't believe that I am so close to being done with school. I don't feel like I'm old enough to be out in the world with a real job and real responsibilites outside of things related to school. It's a scary yet exciting time and I'm looking forward to how this next year unfolds. For now, I am going to take advantage of the two weeks I have left of summer. Just a quick update.

What's In A Name?

"A Story To Be Told"- I love how everyone's life is a story and everyone is just a small part of God's story. We all have so much we can learn from each other if only we were to spend less time talking and more time listening. This is why I chose this name for my blog.

I find myself at a strange point in life where the things that are unknown outnumber those that are known. Though it is a strange time, it is an exciting time. Camp Timberline has such a big spot in my heart, and now, for the first time in 10 summers, I will not be returning. Instead, I will be working an ER, hoping to gain experience which will be beneficial to my future from a career standpoint. In one year (if all goes well), I will be out of school and hoping to follow God's call on my life. What that is at this point, I am not sure, but I do have some thoughts in the back of my mind.

Two things which I've been thinking about lately:
1. I am a person who struggles with pride, and recently, God has shown me that humility has rewards of it's own. Ultimately, He must become GREATER and I must become LESS. That's awesome!
2. I have come to the realization that I spend far too much time living for the future (counting down the days until something happens that I'm looking forward to). In doing so, I forget the beauty and blessing of every day in between. Each day is a gift and I should live life in anticipation and gratitude for each new day.

I realize that the things I've mentioned in this post are random, but they are things on my mind right now and therefore, I wanted to share them with you.
God Bless!

First Post

This is my first post. If I ever feel like I have something worth sharing, I'll update. Have a good one.