To cut or not to cut?

So every girl loves getting her hair cut, right? Yes.

It's fun to get a cute 'do, a fresh look!

And I can't deny the fact that we do like the, "Oh, did you get a haircut?"

Well, yes, as a matter of fact I did!

Except sometimes, you get your hair cut and...

ugh. It doesn't look quite like you wanted.

It's impossible to get it to look how the hair stylist did.

And you really wish you had those 6 inches back.

I've started a new life at a new school...is it time for a new look?

My hair is longer than it's been since Jr. High and I'm getting that urge to chop it all off!

But....seriously scared of regretting it.

To cut or not to cut?

Oh the woes of being a girl!

Give me your eyes...

There's so much on my mind tonight but this song keeps coming back to me. It'd been awhile since I'd watched the video so I thought I'd share (you'll have to pause the music on my sidebar)

The Lord is transforming me. And I'm praying that He would refine my heart that I might see people as He does.

More

I'm understanding more of God.

"Oh, how He loves us."

"Great is His faithfulness."

"By grace you have been saved..."

"His mercies are new every morning...."

"Our God is greater, our God is stronger, our God is higher than any other. Our God.

I'm understanding more of His grace, mercy, and love. And I am blown away.

He's turning my heart even more to His call.

He's making me fall more in love with the Word.

He's showing me how to trust even more His plan, and how to step out in faith.

My heart is just so intent on Him tonight. So desiring to serve Him more and wondering what this will look like in my life?

"Give me Your eyes for just one second, give me Your eyes so I can see...everything that I've been missing, give me a love for humanity."

He is growing my love even more for the unsaved. Turning my heart from unrest while in college to an attitude of gratitude and sheer joy for this opportunity to prepare for a future of ministry.

I want MORE of Him.

Opportunity...

I just got back from a meeting with a professor about studying abroad. This summer. In COSTA RICA!!!

I am scared. Excited. Nervous. Excited. Okay, mostly excited.

Would you please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom as I make a decision about whether or not I will go? It's a 9 week trip and I get homesick after only a week of being away at school, so it will be by HIS strength that I do this. But it is a true gift from Him that I have the opportunity to go on a trip like this and grow my Spanish skills that I might serve the Spanish-speakers of this world to shine the light of Christ in years to come!

Now i can laugh about it...

So transferring to a new school has proved to provide some rather humorous moments (now that they're done). At the time, I thought I might melt into a puddle of tears. Thankfully, now I can laugh at the fact that I...

1. Had no schedule until the 3rd day of classes.

2. Attended the wrong Health class, added my name to the roster, and received a syllabus before realizing it was the wrong one. Upon realizing this, I winded my way around campus to find the location of the correct class, arriving 30 minutes late and making the teacher walk all the way to the back of the classroom in the middle of the lecture to hand me a syllabus. At least everyone will recognize me now- even it is as The Girl Who Couldn't Find Health Class.

3. The next day, I showed up for my Lifetime Fitness class only to find the gym completely empty besides 2 elderly women power-walking. This is not my class. Thankfully, a kind fellow in the office explained to me the idea of "Second-block" classes. My class does not start till March. Now I at least know where my class will be held!

4. There's nothing like walking around the perimeter of the campus only to find out the building was right next to your previous class. Yaay for burning extra calories!

5. Finding out the frozen yogurt machine is broken should not be a disaster. But after a long day, this piece of news nearly created a meltdown. Thankfully, I remembered the dark chocolate I stashed away in my dorm room.

6. While going to study with a friend in a different residence hall, I accidently went to the wrong one. By the time I'd circled the 2nd floor 3 times looking for her room I began to wonder what was going on until I realized I was not even in the right building. I now know what nearly every residence hall looks like!

7. -Hi, I'm Molly and I'm a transfer student. What's your name?

-Hi nice to meet you! I'm Shelby.

-Awesome! I've met a lot of Shelbys here. What's your major?

-Nursing. What's yours?

- Spanish......i'm so sorry but I already forgot your name.

Meeting 50 new people in a week will do that to your brain.

8. And nothing beats coming back to your residence hall after your first long day of going to the wrong classes only to find that you are unable to unlock the door to your dorm room. Yes, it's the right key. Yes, it's the right room. And yes, it is the right building. My hands just simply cannot coordinate themselves to unlock the door. So instead of putting the phone down, I simply drop the keys on the floor, and fighting back a rush of tears tell my mom through the phone, "I CAN'T GET THE STUPID DOOR OPEN. AND I JUST WANT TO GET INTO MY ROOM." About that time, my RA comes out and I am now very embarassed. Thankfully, he gives me a short tutorial on how you have to pull the door back and turn the key to the right. Thank you, Mr. RA, from saving me from a good, long cry in the middle of the hallway.

So now, you have all read the most embarassing and humorous moments of my transfer experience. It has been so wonderful, and I am so thankful. But every experience comes with it's moments, right?!

What are some of your college stories?

Simple Gifts

I have rediscovered simple gifts.

Simple gifts that truly make up the essence of life.

This rediscovery has been a journey....and I wouldn't change a thing.

Because these simple gifts I rediscovered on the winding road are priceless.

Second chances.

Grace abundant.

JOY, JOY, and more JOY

Awe of God.

Renewed love and hunger for the Word.

Refreshing healing of broken pieces of my heart.

Community.

Confidence in who I am in Christ. A daughter, a princess, beautiful, and competent for the call He has on my life.

These simple gifts are what make up my life now. And I'm praying that the Lord continues to show me the simple yet incredible gifts that are found in Him.

Less is More

I've done alot of organizing and labeling, cleaning and purging over this break. I love doing projects like that. Having my things in the right place, neat and orderly, makes me feel like life is under control. It's obviously not true because I am not my own, and I have a God who gives me breath every second of the day. But sometimes I manage to convince myself I have some measure of power. I learn so slowly.

Anyways, we emptied out my old dorm room yesterday in order to move it all to my new school this weekend :) At first, I was really looking forward to getting all of my things spread out, and, you guessed it- reorganized. But as the boxes kept piling out of the van, and the items kept coming out of the boxes like Mary Poppin's carpet bag, our basement floor began to look like a tornado went through it. STUFF. MATERIALS. EVERYWHEREEE. And it made me feel shameful and guilty. Has my need to be organized and structured translated in a need to have material things as well?

In that moment I felt overwhelmingly thankful for the abundance that I have been given, yet a sense of bondage as well. Like I was tied to these possessions. Not just these, but the clothes upstairs in my room, and yes, the summer clothes packed in a box in the basement. It's just too much for my brain and my heart to handle.

So, the box of extra food I bought my spare meal plan dollars is going to the local soup kitchen. I'm going to do one last purge of clothes I don't need and donate them to a homeless shelter. And, what I can't donate is just going to be gotten rid of. I want freedom in Christ, and reliance on HIM, not things. This is the beauty of His grace! We have ALL we need in Him!!! I will enjoy the nice things that I have, and our comfortable home, but when He calls me to go serve, I want to be able to go without lugging around my "comfort items" that I've let myself grow attached to. Less is more.

Day by day, finding FREEDOM in Christ. Finding JOY in Him alone. Exploring even more the wonder of His LOVE and GRACE. Less on this earth is MORE of Christ!

Seeking after Him,

Molly

"Jesus said, 'You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32