Blog Post 3: My Story/Testimony

This post features a little insight into my personal story.

I would like to start this blog post out by saying, I love to tell stories. Whether it is reading, writing, or talking, I have always loved stories ever since I have been little. And I am excited to share in today’s blog post my personal story or testimony. About two or almost really three years ago my life has completely changed from what it used to be. I began coming to The University of Akron in fall of 2016, as an undecided freshman who was honestly very lost. And I do not just mean “lost” getting around campus or unsure of what career path to take, but straight up lost with where I was at in my life, with my faith, and what my purpose here on the earth was for. I am going to break my journey of where I was to where I am now into four little mini stories:

Beginning College

Transitioning from high school to college was a change for me. I had a basic idea of what I would like to do with my life but had little to no concept of what degree to actually pursue. Being only about an hour away from home, living with my brother, and keeping in close contact with friends from high school did not seem like too rough of a start. But I will say that being unsure of what to do with my life made my very anxious and worry about my future. In my first year of college, I sort of attended my home church, Belden United Methodist Church, when I would go home on the weekends. But I felt like I would go just to go because that is what I have done my entire life. I never really went because I felt it in my heart to go, but rather because my parents went, and my family went and that is what we did.

Disney College Experience

Fast forwarding into my second semester of college, my older brother told me that he was applying for the “Disney College Program,” and suggested that I apply as well. Long story short, I decided to at the age of 19 go out on a limb and apply not even thinking about the chance of making it into the program. But little to find out a week after my interview process, I was hired, and would soon be moving to Orlando, Florida on my own for 6 months. This was definitely an experience that changed my life forever. I was moving away from my family, just started a relationship with an old friend from high school and had no clue what I was getting myself into. I had to basically live my life on my own and almost start completely over while leaving my former life behind. (If you ever want to know more about my experience with working for The Disney Company, I am always more than willing to share more about it.)

The Transition

I would have to say that being away from my life here at Akron was extremely hard both mentally and emotionally. Although this was truly a magical experience, I got homesick on several occasions, and could not wait to come back home and pick up where I left off. But little did I know that when I came home, everything had completely changed…My relationships with my friends and boyfriend were not the same, and I had to endure a lot of hardships within the first few months of being back. I had become very worldly and selfish, and was not at all the nice, innocent girl that I was prior to leaving. About two months after being home, things just did not feel right. I was constantly arguing with the ones that I thought loved me the most and I just became so bitter and was not happy with my life at all. My boyfriend and I ended up breaking up, and my relationships with some of my close friends were very broken, but most of all my personal relationship with God was diminishing by the second. After about 2 more months, of basically moping and feeling sorry for myself, I began to get back into the habit of going to church, praying, and began to live my life for Jesus, not for myself. He truly met me where I was at in my lowest of lows and has carried me and walked with me through everything. I can definitely say that I could not have moved on in life without Jesus being my center. I began to dive deeper into the Bible, write in a study journal, pray daily, and listen to a lot of worship music.

Two songs that have really helped me through that tough time are:

Peace Be Still- The Belonging Co (feat. Lauren Diagle)

Live Like You’re Loved- Hawk Nelson

Where I am Now

After months of struggling, over this past year and a half is where I have truly found myself and prioritize my relationship with God first and foremost. Like I have mentioned in previous posts, I am involved in a lot of different ministries here in Akron, each one which are near and dear to my heart. I could go on and on about the church, the community, and the relationships that I have built and how I have truly perused my relationship with God above everything. There are still times when I am not perfect and struggle, but I have devoted and put my faith in the one and only Savior Jesus Christ who died to save all our sins. I cannot put into words how blessed I am to be immersed in this faith filled community, to have people who love and care about not just me, but care about growing and walking in step with me to help strengthen and mature my spiritual faith walk with God, and encourage me every day to share the true meaning of The Gospel. I am excited to be on this journey, eager to see what God has planned next for me in my story, and to not live for myself, but to bring Him all of the glory and follow His son Jesus’s example.