This time last year I was off to the cinema before ushering
in 2012 with the firework display in town. It sounds ridiculously corny, but I
remember being with friends, watching the glitter of those fireworks and feeling
really good about the year ahead.
It actually got off to a rocky start. I didn’t know whether
I even wanted to be at University. The first week back after Christmas, I was a
mess of indecision. I put on a brave face, but inwardly I couldn’t have been
more miserable.
Help came in the form of very patient parents and good friends,
and by the end of that week, I had my answer. I was walking through campus and
I suddenly knew I wanted to stay. God showed me where the problem lay, and He
showed me what I really wanted. Since then, I focused on everything that was
good about my uni life, and though I was still homesick and hating the house I
was in, things got better.
Within a fortnight of deciding to stay I’d started
volunteering at ‘Kidz Klub’, joined the belly dancing society, and generally made
peace with my situation. One of my best friends told me that if I stayed, I’d ‘grab
the bull by the horns and really make the most of things’. He was right.
Perhaps best of all about those two weeks was that five
other girls and myself found a house for 2nd year. From the moment
we saw it, we knew that house was a gift from God. Everything about it was
right, and somehow we managed to be the first viewing of the day and beat
several other interested groups to signing the contract. I remember we prayed
this house would be a joy and a blessing, to ourselves and to anyone who walked
through the door, and after having lived in it for a term, that prayer has been
answered in such an obvious way.
Through good and bad (and there were many bad days), God was
right there, whether I recognised it or not. With every passing day, I learnt
something about myself. Romans 5 v 3-5 says this: ‘But we also glory in tribulations, knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance; and
perseverance, character; and character, hope.’
First
year passed; the hardest, strangest, and actually most blessed year of my life so
far. Suddenly I was back home, bored after suddenly having nothing to do, and
realising I was in desperate need of a job. That prayer was answered too, and I
got more than I bargained for with a full time contract in a madly busy office.
The job was pretty rubbish really; complaints departments are never fun, and
when money is the cause for complaint, you can be sure people are going to be
very upset, often obnoxious, and sometimes rude. For an inexperienced temp I
had more responsibility than I’d imagined, but also, for an inexperienced temp
I was well paid. That job gave me the money I needed to finance a whole term of
rent, so with my student loan I was independent of my parents for the first
time in my life. (Not sure how next term is going to be financed, but God will
sort that one out too).
The
most summer holiday I got this year was three days in Northern Ireland to visit a friend, but hopefully next year will be different! We can’t have it all can
we?
Eventually
September came, I left my job, and Uni started again. The first term of second
year was amazing, with countless laughs with my lovely new housemates, growing
closer with friends, enjoying my course, and most importantly deepening my relationship
with God. I am so so thankful for every friend, every good thing I experienced in
the past few months. So happy to be a part of the church I go to. Yes there were
low points and difficulties, life is like that, but overall I had a great term.
And
suddenly the year is over and I’m sitting contemplating it all. Since coming
home for Christmas out family has been hit with a few obstacles, but I know God
has good things to come! Since being home I’ve really been seeking him and
rejoicing in what he’s done this year, and it’s made me even more excited about
next year! And of course, I’m going to Berlin in September! A year ago, I would
never have been brave enough to make such a decision.
So
what do I want for 2013?
Above
all things I want to know Jesus more. I want to go where he leads me, love
others the way he loves me, be a blessing to others the way he has blessed me. As
of yet I have no other resolutions, because everything good comes from focusing
on him. All my hopes and plans are in his hands. Proverbs 16: 3 says ‘Commit to
the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.’ Not got much to
worry about then really.
Well that was my year. I’d love to hear about your’s (and I
mean that honestly, I’m one of those people who love reading about other
people’s experiences).
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