God’s Summer School

This whole summer, I feel like my communications with God are so much clearer than when there was school to worry about.  I feel like many prayers have been answered, and I’ve been able to make decisions faster and I don’t know.  Things are just awesome.  Coming home this summer was a good move (thanks for your persistence, Lord…sorry it took so long for me to listen).  I have been so glad I have had the opportunity to write more and to give music lessons, as well as working on the farm and realizing its value.  I have decided that I will be heading to seminary as a next step, although I still don’t know when or where.  First things first: student teaching.  And then, down the road, after seminary, I don’t know if I’ll teach or what I’ll do with it.  But I have accepted in the last few years that I simply can’t know everything.  That would be God’s job, not mine.  Knowing everything is silly, anyway.  Writing would be fun, as well.  I was talking with my aunt Sally, and she told me that it’s better to have too many things to want to do rather than nothing.  If I wanted to become a professional procrastinator and not do anything ever, that might be a problem.  But God has given me so many gifts and passions.  I am so excited to use them and to see how God’s going to use everything.

God has shown me that I can write and serve others for him.  It’s possible, and I love doing it (I plan to for a super long time).  He has shown me that I can teach music and that I’m not any of my classmates; I’m me, Anna.  I have my own “specialties” that none of them have.  And he has shown me how big he is, and that he totally listens to his children.  Who would have thought one of my closest friends who is also the boy I like would be interested back?

Pause for a tangent: I grew up in a passive-aggressive, don’t-say-what-you-mean-but-imply-it, is-this-person-implying-something-or-saying-something-else, what-the-heck kind of atmosphere.  I’ve been trying to be more direct to those who didn’t grow up here since I began college and didn’t see any like people around.  I’m getting better, I promise.  Sorry to the person I’m vaguely talking about that I say things here and just hope you’ll read it.  To everyone else: I am kind of a chatterbox, so there is actually more communication than I make it sound like.  Resume post.

My cousin, Katrina, took a semester off and lived in Cottonwood with her mom to get everything under control.  God spoke to her a lot, then, as well.  I think that this summer has been awesome.  I’ve learned how to drive a tractor (although I don’t do anything super important with the potential of killing plants, ‘cuz I’m too good at that), I’ve gotten to connect with people here who I’ve known my whole life, and I’ve gotten to do so much more.  Ugh, I’m restating.  Anyway, this post is to basically say that this summer has been great.  I am super excited to see what happens next in this novel I’m living that I don’t get to skip to the end of the page or to the next chapter.  You mean, you don’t do that when you’re reading a stellar novel?  Yeah, it’s not the best idea, cuz you usually miss something important.

I hope the rest of you are having a good summer, as well.  What has God been doing in your lives?

Anna