Hello friends!!! I don't exactly know how to start this one, so I am just going to jump right in!
DISCLAIMER: I am not writing this to brag about how great my life is and make it seem perfect, but I am here to brag to you about how great my God is, so lets kick it!!!!
As most of you may know, I transferred schools at the beginning of this semester. I wasn't exactly sure why, or what the plan was for me, but as I mentioned in my first blog post, I trusted my gut, moved to a different state, and began my new journey! I'd always heard of people picking up their things from one place and leaving/starting over in another, but never EVER in a bajillion years would I had thought that was going to be me. SIDE NOTE: I don't want any of this to be repetitive or me to seem as if I am running in circles with my most recent experiences, but I have learned so much and have been so compelled to write about this! Anywhooooo, I lived in the same place my entire childhood and it was not until college that I moved away from home. Being 5 hours away seemed far enough, but for whatever reason, I felt EXTREMELY moved to leave and move 10 hours away! I had no clue what to expect, the only thing I could do was trust that God was in control and that he was the one behind all of it. I knew one girl who was older than me from my hometown who came to the U of A, but besides that, I knew not a soul! My Mom and Dad brought me to Fayetteville and helped me move into my one bedroom apartment over Christmas break. <--- when I tell people I live by myself they seem concerned, feel bad for me, and assume I must be extremely lonely, but trust me, living by yourself can be one of the biggest blessings!! By the grace of God, as soon as I moved in, even when I didn't hangout with anybody or hadn't met anyone, I felt the most at peace and at home i'd ever felt in my life. I didn't feel like this because I am just a BO$$ at hangin with myself or am an extreme introvert (I'd say i'm the opposite), I felt like this because God had his arms wrapped around me and I knew he wasn't going to let me go! I had prayed that God would show me why I had been led here and I also prayed for some other small things too.
BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!! I began school and it was literally as if the floodgates of heaven had been opened. I was immediately welcomed, surrounded, and loved on by other believers (this had been one of my biggest prayers). I had really struggled for a while to find more than a few friends who had the same morals as me, even while going to a private christian university. But here, it was so different. I had so many sweet people reach out to me every day and make me feel so cherished and appreciated. That was just the first round of God sent moments I have had thus far. I was soon presented the opportunity of becoming a K LIFE leader and be affiliated with my sorority (go Phi Mu!!) I was in at TCU. God's grace is incredible, and each day, even in the smallest of things, I am constantly reminded how great our God is and why he has moved me into a different chapter.
I am a firm believer in the idea that when you go somewhere and get out of town, it gives you a different perspective on your life. Every time I have traveled out of state for more than a few days, I end up coming home and changing a piece of myself (this doesn't mean drastically every time, but little things too). Something is always revealed because I have time to process things and look in on my life from the outside. I believe this is EXACTLY what God is doing right now. He picked me up from a place where I was floundering, and planted me in a place where he knew I could be rooted and grow. It wasn't until I got to Arkansas that it truly became evident how crazy awesome God is and how powerful his love can be if we pursue him. I didn't realize it, but I was in a stagnant state in my walk with God and was truly lost. I was so unfulfilled with everything and was in a cycle of constantly feeling defeated and deprived. The beauty of this is I am now so aware & Jesus is seriously showin offffff!!!! Through God's grace I now feel more loved, transformed, and content than I even knew was possible, and THAT, my friends, is what happens when you trust in God's plan for your life. My life is no where near perfect, nor it will be due to the sinful world we live in, but with me allowing God to be in charge, it's a heck of a lot better than if I was trying to sail my boat. (I also don't even know how to sail a boat, so no wonder it's better ;) I hope & pray that reading my story will encourage you to trust in God & let him show you how amazing the plan he has written for you truly is!!!!
xoxo kailey
“Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7