Deeply Rooted

      It started back around my freshman orientation week. I kept hearing things along the lines of "get involved", "Do everything", or "get out there and don't just keep to yourself". Community was the big word that everyone was alluding to. I heard this so much, and I grew tired of hearing it. I took the advice though, and I later learned I took it to the extreme. I went out constantly from 8 am until 12 am (or later) every day at one point during my freshman year wanting to do everything. I did not want to miss out. Now, the advice I give freshmen is "Get involved, do what you can, but don't be afraid to stop and rest because rest is important".      I struggled so much with FOMO throughout my time in college. I struggled more so than I did any other time in my life. In elementary school, I stuck more to myself and did not have many friends. Things were complicated in middle school, and I did not mind spending time outside of school al...

      Friendships are beautiful, a deep blessing. As a kid, I loved the few friends I had. I felt content with being alone most of the time, but I really loved the few friends I made. Middle school came, and that is when friendship struggles really began. I am someone who still deeply values my friendships, but I realize that most of my friendships have changed over time. God gives us friends to do life with and I definitely have  The Right Crowd?      Middle school and high school were both challenging times for finding friends. I did not really care about finding friends who really loved the Lord in middle school. I just stuck with people on the same sports team as me. I wanted to fit in, but I always felt that I never really fit into any group. I started to not really appreciate what I was seeing in the group I was a part of, so I started sitting with other groups of people.  In high school, we all went our separate ways as well. Eventually, I ...

     In high school, I deeply valued my Sundays. They were the only days I could do what I wanted without other obligations taking up space in my schedule. I loved my Sundays and deeply cherished them. No homework, no work, just anything I wanted to do. I called my Sundays my Sabbath day because I would go to church and maybe youth group, but the rest of the day would be spent just doing whatever I wanted. That sounds about right, I spend my whole week working; therefore, I deserve one day just doing anything I want to do. The past couple of years have been different. I have really started to become intentional on how I spend my Sabbath days.       One thing is that my Sabbath days have started to look different with the frequently changing schedules. There are times in my life when the Sabbath goes from 4 pm Saturday to 4 pm Sunday. I still prioritize church, but Sabbath looks different depending on the time of life.      Lately, I have...