Raw. Honest. Open. Me.

Eternal life brings me true joy because I know that there is a life beyond this broken world full of love, forgiveness, and comfort. At the same time, this allows me to live out my purpose in life, which is showing God's unconditional love through loving other people. Eternal life lets me have trust in God's plan and is the only true source of hope and strength to keep on through life's challenges here on Earth.

I once lived a life truly dependent on my grades and success in school. I was ranked 30 out of 600 in my high school class and I was always on some sort of honor roll and in all the AP classes. Without the success, I was nothing. Then, I came to college, where it wasn't 1-2-3 easy anymore and I fell below my expectations, surrounded by peers who seemingly were so much smarter than me. I no longer could live my entire life based on a letter grade. I reconciled with God through learning the Gospel once again, but it was the first time I truly understood it. This year, I trusted in God and let him take me where I needed to be, and I have experienced so much Christian community in a seemingly hard-hearted sea of people. How amazing it is that Jesus loves us not just through the A+ days, but the days when it all falls apart and fear takes over.

This year (sophomore year) of college has taught me so much about myself and who Jesus is. I no longer need to grasp to that feeling of success in order to be happy. I still strive to be successful but I know that mistakes can be made and there is grace for them. I love Jesus for holding on with me from the day I cried for 3 hours straight about my fear of the future. I love Jesus for holding on with me now, as I am one month away from being halfway done with my Bachelor's degree. But I know that my worth won't even be found in my job one day. I know that God will continue to use me to spread his love no matter where I am at. 2 years ago, I never thought that I'd be where I am today. When you let go of your fear and struggle and give it to God, it's amazing where he can take you. I don't know where I'm going next but I do know who's going to be standing with me through it all until one day we reunite in Heaven and that is Jesus Christ.