Seasons of Change

"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace."

1 Corinthians 14:33, ESV

For as long as I can remember change has been a struggle for me.

When my dad decided to sell the tire business that had been in our family for over 50 years and go into real estate, I cried and begged him not to. Even though this career change late in life has been such a great decision for my dad, I couldn't stand the fact that we were letting go of our family business. I was 14 at the time which makes it even more hilarious that I was so concerned with this.

My senior year of high school I'm pretty sure I cried every night for 4 months leading up to graduation and my last dance recital. The thought of saying goodbye to my dancers, and best friends was emotionally draining.

My last Kappa pref night, function, formal, etc. left me feeling all nostalgic. Not to mention the whole college graduation and saying goodbye to my amazing sorority sisters thing.

Then there was the move to Little Rock. A week before I was supposed to spend my first night in my new house I had a major, major meltdown. We're talking hyperventilating, snot running down my nose, bawling my eyes out, meltdown.

And my personal favorite was when my laptop stopped working and I had to buy a new one the day before starting pharmacy school. It took everything in me to hold back my tears in Best Buy. This also happened when I gave up my beloved Blackberry for a dumb iPhone (which I have learned to love more than my Blackberry). Did I mention I hate change? Okay just checking.

Some of you are probably laughing at how incredibly pathetic I am when it comes to change. Lately, I have been challenged by my struggle with change and have looked at the root of why I feel this way.

A lot of it is because of how content I am with the way things in my life are going. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a bad thing because Paul teaches us in Philippians to be content in all circumstances (Phil 4:11-13). Funny how he talks about being content in ALL circumstances. Not just situations we feel safe and secure in. When we fail to allow ourselves to adapt to new seasons of life, we have another issue in our hearts. An issue of trust.

It all comes down to do we trust God. Do we trust Him to put us in the place we are supposed to be, at the perfect time, surrounded by people He so carefully chooses to bless us with?

That has been the kicker right there. Saying goodbye to people is the hardest thing for me. I don't like thinking about not having people in my life anymore when they have had such a huge impact on who I am.

However, God continues to remind me that He is the author of my days. And I shouldn't question that He has me right where He wants me in order to bring Him the most glory.

Trust in God's sovereignty even when you have no idea where your life is headed. He loves you and wants to shower you with His grace and His goodness. That in itself is all the reason we need to put all of our faith in Him alone.

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

Batter Up

In honor of opening day (yesterday) of Major League Baseball, here is my most favorite baseball memory to date. 

For anyone who knows me you have to know one thing by now...I. Love. Baseball. I love everything about it. The fans, the stadiums, the food, the players, the coaches, the programs, the field, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." I might have a minor obsession. For those of you who think it is nothing more than a slow and painfully boring game to watch, I'm so sorry your joy is being limited. There is so much more to it that only some fully understand and appreciate. It's called America's favorite past time for a reason.

If you know even more about me you will know my favorite MLB team is the St. Louis Cardinals. Growing up in Arkansas you don't have any professional teams to cheer for. We are right in the middle of the Cardinals, Royals, and Rangers. My dad grew up a Cardinal fan so he passed on his love of their team to me and my brother.

It has been my lifelong dream to go to the world series. A week before Game 5 of the 2011 World Series, I was offered a ticket to go! Bucket list material right here. I have never been so incredibly shocked and excited about anything in my life. One of my friends gave me a ticket so I, along with 2 other Kappas, skipped class the day of the game and drove to Arlington, TX. Even though the Cards lost that night, they ended up winning the 2011 World Series in Game 7! It was the coolest thing I have experienced and I can only wish to attend more World Series games in the future.

Ranger Stadium

Laura Poe (fellow Cards fan), Caroline Kent (Rangers fan), and myself.

Patrick McKinley (friend from Baylor) and myself.

Of course we had to throw up the key!

"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?"-Jim Bouton

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."-Rogers Hornsby

"The trouble with baseball is that it's not played year round."-Gaylord Perry

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds."-Red Barber