one in a million

Time is priceless…

yet it costs us nothing.

You can do anything you want with it…

but own it.

You can spend it…

but you can’t keep it.

And once you’ve lost it…

there’s no getting it back.

It’s just…

gone.

I can’t believe its already been a week since I’ve been home. It seems like just yesterday I was hugging my friends tight and holding back tears. Home is good. It’s different, but its good. I love being back in my old room. I specifically love my bed (which I’m pretty sure is made with clouds from heaven), and the glow-in-the-dark stars that I put on my ceiling in the third grade, and I even love my stuffed animal collection that has seemed to have quadrupled over the years because every time I go to giveaway my toys another Toy Story movie comes out.

What I’m not crazy about is change. Some people thrive off of it. Me? Not so much. I could take it or leave it, but mostly, when things are going great, I’d be perfectly happy if they were that way forever. I think this is a good and bad way of thinking. Good because I always think I already have the best so I’m usually pretty content. Bad because its kinda limiting to God, don’t ya think? For example: In high school, the thought of leaving my best friends for college scared me. I mean, they were the best friends I would ever have, right? Then I met my college friends and after 4 years of late night chats, crazy schemes, and lots of dance parties, I gave them all big hugs as we each moved across the country (literally). There is no way in the world God would ever give me better friends than my college friends? Right? Then I met my friends in Lynchburg. Instant best friends, like the kind you grow in water. I’ve known them the shortest but somehow feel this unshakable bond with them. And that’s really how its always been, even when I spent a summer in MO at Kanakuk or last summer in NYC. What in the world makes me think He won’t care for me in this next stage of life?

Not too long ago, I read Priscilla Shirer’s new book “One in a Million. “ I think it is one of the best books I have ever read. It was life changing. In fact, I think it was part of the reason I finally decided to quit my job. Without giving the entire book away (you MUST read it), the book follows the Israelites journey through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. But did you know that only 2 made it? Only 2 in 2 million! And after reading the book I realized that was the kind of life I wanted – one that is sold out to Christ, following His path. I wanted to be “one-in-a-million.” And when I looked back at my own journey - specifically from graduating college last year to the uncertainty that I am currently faced with - I realized God had been sending me on my own trip through the wilderness. Who knew God had been “using the pressure of my problems not to bury me, but to beckon me”? And maybe Lynchburg was just my Mt. Siani? I certainly spent the longest time there, had a few meltdowns, and truly felt the Lord’s calling. I’m not exactly sure what my Promised Land will look like, or where it will be for that matter, but I do take comfort in knowing that I am on my way and that I am exactly where the Lord wants me right now.

“One-in-a-millions know that God has put them here – in this particular place, at this particular time – with certain things for them to experience. They’re not afraid to live through the in-between, development times because the muscles they’re growing out here in the wilderness are going to help them hit the Promised Land running. It’s going to be worth it. They know it.” – Priscilla Shirer, “One in a Million”