Feeling Low? Have You Tried ____?

Hey all! Welcome back to my blog!

     It's been a little while, but so much has happened!
-
-
     A few Sundays ago I sang with the worship team for the last time before I leave for school. I didn't realize it'd be my last time until I went to give my availability for the next month and I realized that I'd be gone every time between then and when I leave! It was a sad realization, but I was able to look ahead to when I'd be home for break to sing and play with them.
-
-
     One weekend in June our church was able to host the African Children's Choir for a Sunday evening concert and it was A-mazing! So many people came out and it was a beautiful and energetic concert. I was able to buy one of their shirts and I love sporting it for others to see and ask about. The energy those kids displayed and the love they clearly had for Jesus was emotional and real. It's a concert I will not forget about.
-
-
     This past weekend I traveled down to Joplin, Missouri for orientation before school starts on the 18th. I was able to travel down with some family friends whose son is going to Ozark too. That made the trip go a lot faster and made it more fun.
     Orientation was great and I met lots of amazing people! Obviously there were many nervous students there that day so it was hard for me to find many people to talk to, but I'm sure once school starts it'll get better.
     I got signed up for classes over the weekend and I'm excited for that! I'm going to have a few specific Bible classes studying specific areas of the Bible, a class on personal evangelism and the best ways to bring up my faith with friends, coworkers, and how to grow in my own faith, as well as a class on the history of Ancient Israel. Another class I'll be taking is a class on the principles of christian discipleship and education. I'm not entirely sure what all this class will entail, but from what I gathered from my admissions counselor I met with is that it'll focus mainly on how we as Christians can grow in our faith and understand more specific parts of Christianity.
     As a Psychology major, this last class I signed up for will definitely be my favorite! I'm taking a class called Healthy Relationships. This class will cover the different issues and ways to resolve boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, friendships, marriages, and our relationship with God etc. It'll also cover how they work and different ways to strengthen these relationships. I'm super excited to take this class!
     I also joined the choir, so that'll be a good experience for me. I'm excited for that because their choir tours around to different places to perform! Touring around with a group is something I've always hoped to do in college and now is my chance to do so!
     I also found out who my roommate for college is and she seems very nice! We haven't met in person yet, but we've been able to text a little bit to get to know each other. She is also pretty involved with music!
-
-
     Throughout all of this happening over the past few weeks I've been so busy I wasn't making the time for my quiet time like I should have been. . . I've noticed my anxiety coming on more often lately and I've been more easily depressed and saddened than usual. One of my best friends has been a great listener and he's given me some advice and listened when I needed to spill out lots of thoughts.
     The past few nights I've been up late in bed not being able to sleep with lots of things running through my head. One of the things that came to mind was how discontent I've been with life over the past few weeks/month. I ended up putting two and two together: feeling down and putting my quiet time on the back burner came hand in hand. . . When I realized how much I had been putting my quiet time and deepening my faith on the side so much made sense.
     Just because I'm going to a conservative mission/Bible based college does not mean I don't need to continue working on my own personal faith. I shouldn't ever stop!
     Jordan Lee Dooley has a website called SoulScripts and she has this organization for $7 a month where women across the world can come together and watch her Bible Study tutorial videos, read blog posts, download online devotionals, and visit with other women either in the area or across the world! I felt a tug on my heart after reading the testimony of one of the women who joined a few years ago, ad I decided to sign up! After signing up I sort of forgot about it all and didn't do too much on there. . . That is until I started feeling down about myself and more depressed than normal.
     Since I've started back up getting into a routine of spending more personal time with God and focusing on Him daily in prayer and meditation I've noticed my mood change and my anxiety resolve.
-
-
     For the longest time I had really enjoyed any Bible studies I was involved in, any devotionals I'd been reading, and different faith-related youtubers I'd found recently. Once things got busy, however, I found myself falling away from the things that had kept my focus and I began to feel low and incomplete.
     I was reminded of this: "Once you experience the goodness of Christ you won't be able to live a day without it." That's totally true! I experienced that this past weekend and I'm anxious to begin finding my way back into personal, quiet time with God everyday! I'm praying that God will help me keep focused on following through with it even after I make the transition to college- when I'll need it most!
-
-
    I'd encourage any of you that if you've been feeling down on yourself lately, or feeling as though your life is missing something, think about the last tim you spent time alone with God. . . I'm not saying you should all go read a chapter from the Bible and expect instant gratification and joy- definitely not. What I'm saying is you should spend time with God and figure out the best way you connect with Him. Don't turn your personal time into a daily checklist; turn your personal time with God into something you can't bear to go a day without!

"Such confidence we have through Christ before God."
     -2 Corinthians 3:4

-Sarah