By, Joela Diaz

Please help me, Lord. I feel nothing is going to go right. Help me trust in You and Your power and planning. 
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That entry was from February 2017. Spoiler alert: everything went right–in ways I didn’t expect. 

While preparing for college applications, I constantly worried I’d choose the wrong major and college. There’s so much pressure throughout high school to get the plan right, because if not, we think it’ll disrupt the trajectory of the rest of our lives.  

I’ve learned we aren’t meant to figure out the details of our life plans. God promises, “For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Perhaps you’ve heard this promise so often you’ve forgotten its comfort. When we meditate on these words, we see that we don’t have to carry the burden of “figuring out our lives.” 

Throughout my college application process, I asked God for peace, direction, and clarity. I dreamed of going to Emerson College or perhaps Rutgers University. William Paterson University was last on my list of contenders, yet during my campus tour, I sensed a peace that WPU was where I belonged. So I submitted my application and was accepted.  

If the tour wasn’t enough confirmation, WPU was the only school that offered me scholarships that covered nearly 100% of my tuition. If I had written my college plan, it would have looked very different, but it wouldn’t have turned out nearly as wonderful.
I believe that in every season where we ask God to guide us and write our story, He will answer and work all things together for good. When I look back at my journal entries, I realize I stressed so much over things God had control over. All I had to do was listen for His voice, and the same proves true now.
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What about you? Are there any decisions you need to make that are making you anxious? I encourage you to give it to God in prayer. Even if He doesn’t answer right away, He promises to sustain you.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22)

By, Lexi K.
​When the pandemic hit in the middle of my junior year of high school, I figured it would be over by the time I was a senior. I tried reassuring myself everyday in the hopes that I would be able to have the year I’ve wanted since I was 13 years old. To me, senior year meant I got to be the coolest in the school. To me, senior year meant finally sitting in the front row of football games, having my National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, and being with my friends for the last time. To me, these things were important, but I felt no one around me understood how disappointed I was to miss all of the traditional senior festivities when my senior year began.

I walked into a three person class on my first day of school and frowned behind the mask that hid my sadness. I was angry with God. Every time I walked into the school building I would ask Him, “Why did this pandemic have to happen now?” The classrooms were empty, the hallways were empty, and my heart was empty. I felt unappreciated by my teachers for the four years of hard work I had put in. Where was my drive-by? Where was my poster? Where was my gift basket? I pushed God away and let my worry build up inside of me, resulting in isolation out of fear of contracting Covid-19. While my friends' lives started to go back to normal, I selfishly wanted time to freeze again so I wouldn’t feel so alone, allowing the virus to be bigger than God. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36. I was putting my worldly desires before God and permitting them to steer me away from Him. Who was I to fear a virus when I knew that God is greater than all?

 On New Year’s Eve I decided that it was time to stop holding grudges because I realized that this year was God’s plan for me all along. I was so preoccupied with trying to fix the senior year that I had planned for, that I was blindsided to the fact that God had a different plan. I started praying again and opened my heart back up to God during this important part of my life, picking a college. I would have daily conversations with God, share my feelings, and pray for direction when I started hearing back from my schools. When I was waitlisted at my top choice school, I felt that Jesus made it clear that I wasn’t meant to go to that college because I wasn’t too upset to receive this news. I was accepted to another school that was always in the back of my mind, so I asked God for a month to show me which college to attend. I was overwhelmed and trusted Jesus on this journey, knowing that in the end, I will end up at the school I was meant to be at. I visited the college I couldn’t stop thinking about and was thrilled with the feeling I got from that trip. I prayed about my commitment and felt that I was making the right decision of spending the next four years of my life at the University of Florida. 

After posting about my commitment, I prayed that God would help me find friends and a roommate easily. Sure enough, many girls reached out to me about living arrangements, meet-ups, and getting to know one another. I continued praying to God about a roommate I would feel comfortable with, preferably from New Jersey, so we could fly to Florida together.  The first girl to reach out to me asked me to go to lunch because we only lived 20 minutes away from each other in New Jersey... We had so much in common and clicked right away! We even went to a dinner in New York to meet more girls going to the University of Florida. Everything felt right, and I knew that God had heard every single one of my prayers.

This year has taught me that I can’t live without God. Life without Him is dark and lonely. He has a plan for everyone, even when it may not be the one you had hoped for. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 While my senior year had a bumpy start, trusting God and His plan was the right decision! And now, as the world slowly starts to reopen, I get the end of the year senior festivities I always wanted. God knew I would still get my senior prom, senior fashion show, and high school graduation. I will follow God’s path to college! Go Gators! Go God!
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            Was there ever a time where you didn’t understand the path God was leading you on? How did you react to this? ​

By, Carrington B.
Through my experience as a senior through such an unprecedented year, the main thing that God has shown me is to only trust in Him. When there were so many cancelled events in such a short amount of time, I realized that we absolutely could not rely on what could possibly happen in the future. Instead, the only thing that we could truly stand on is that God’s ways are better than ours. Throughout my time in high school, I always stood on the verse Jeremiah 29:11, to trust that God has good plans for us despite what our current circumstances may look like. As I make the transition to college, I hold onto the same values. The truth is, there is nothing that we can do on our own strength that will determine our future. I’ve found that the only way we will truly have peace is if we fully submit to the Lords will for our lives. He is working things out in a way better than we can ever imagine, Romans 8:28. If anyone is struggling with being anxious for the future or even with their next season, post Covid, I want to challenge you with this…take out your journal or piece of paper and write down those areas that you are unsure about. After you write down those areas, rip them up. Yes, I said rip them up. This is a prophetic act stating that despite your anxieties about what’s to come, above all else, you have faith that the Lord is making a way for all your hearts desires and more! 

By, Alexis K.
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During the pandemic, I averaged five hours a day on my phone. Most of the time I would mindlessly scroll through TikTok, a trendy social media app where anyone can share entertaining videos. Once I finally realized how much my screen time was increasing from meaningless videos, I decided to limit my time on TikTok. I was ready to delete the app for good until a video of a Christian creator appeared on my feed. After watching the entire video, I began to see more posts with Christian content. 
 
I decided to keep TikTok because I began to learn new information about Jesus and drew closer to Him. People I didn’t even know were reading scriptures, explaining Bible verses, and praying on my screen! God knew I wasn’t done with TikTok yet, and He spoke to me through these people. It registered to me that I had been opening my phone more than my Bible, so I made a conscious decision to read the Bible more often. I wonder now how I ever went without doing that? I saw my relationship with God grow when I began reading my Bible and noticed things in my life changing. For example, I was so upset when I saw my closest friend drifting out of my life. I prayed and asked God that my friend wouldn’t forget about our friendship and that she would reach out to me. Not only did I turn to God first in this situation, but I remembered that God definitely had a reason for this. While I may not know why my friend and I aren’t as close anymore; I trust my Lord and the plan He has for me.  

“…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
 
Furthermore, I had feelings I had never experienced before. I once had a strong urge to reach out to this one girl in my high school who I didn’t know that well. I brushed it off because I thought it would be strange for me to talk to someone about Jesus if I wasn’t friends with them. However, the feeling didn’t go away, and every day that week her and I crossed paths in some way. So that Friday night, I texted this girl about Jesus Christ and her response left me in awe. God has perfect timing as seen through her reply: “I’ve been trying to get more in tune with my faith.” 
 
“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” Mark 16:20
 
The growth I have recently experienced in my faith started on TikTok. I used the teachings I had learned and spread them along to others. I have changed my outlook on the world and worldly desires. I’m so excited to see how God will continue to use me and inspire me through TikTok. 
 
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22

Have you come into contact with someone or something that has drawn you closer to Jesus? How has that change made you feel? Feel free to leave comments, I’d love to respond!