Encouragement & Faith

Hello beautiful people.

As I type this, I’m sitting in my college library with one of the sweetest people I’ve met my freshman year of college. It is 9:00 pm exactly, and I just submitted an extra credit assignment that Lord knows I need into the Dropbox.  My friend is writing a paper.  It is finals week on campus, and you can feel it in the air.

My first final was yesterday, I had another final this morning.  I have a final Friday, a final Monday, and a final Thursday. That is it.  A week from tomorrow, I will (hopefully) successfully completed my freshman year of college.

It hasn’t been an easy year.  I’ve had to be my most vulnerable self, which was hard for me.  I’ve had to have faith that things would be okay, even if I don’t get the grade I want.  I’ve had to persevere, when that is the last thing I wanted to do.  I found myself searching for encouragement from peers, friends, parents, and professors.  When you have a problem, you can try to solve it yourself, or you can give it to God.  It seems like giving it to God would be the easiest alternative, but it required me to grow in faith more than ever.  Growing in my faith has been so much more rewarding than any grade I could get.

When I started reaching to God for encouragement, I became so much more full.  I noticed myself complaining less, and praying more.  God is our professional worrier, so why should we worry? Why should we stress about what we can’t change? Why not just have faith and give it to God?

Finding encouragement through Jesus is so much easier said than done, but it is so worth it.  Here is some encouragement from Him.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. – Psalm 28:7

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain – Hebrew 6:19

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

These verses are so encouraging. How great it is to have a friend in Jesus, that we can lean on anytime? What a blessing.

I’ve recently become a huge Lauren Daigle fan, I know, I’m late to the party. Her song “Trust in You” is such a good reminder and encourager:

“When you don’t move the mountains                                                                                       I’m needing you to move
When you don’t part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When you don’t give the answers
As I cry out to you
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in you”

So beautiful & so powerful!  Whatever mountain you need moved, I pray you are brave and seek encouragement first through Jesus.  You’ve got this, and He has got you.