There Is A Hope

lottiehirons
Oct 8, 2015
3 min read

It's been a while since I last blogged but between graduation, college, laser quest, road trips and placement (pics at the bottom), I haven't had too much spare time but needless to say I'm still loving it. It's horrible to think we have to leave everyone behind in a few days. I think us FirstServers feel ready to move on to our UK placement but it doesn't make leaving the amazing people behind any easier.

Over the past week or so I've had the chance to have some really good chats with people and find out what makes them tick. When I say good chats I mean the proper stuff, not small or surface talk but delving into the messy stuff. With the few people I've been honoured to have these conversations with I've found there is always the obvious presence of God's mercy and the obvious transformation of their lives.

However, before, through and after this change there is a constant struggle. This is something I needed reminding of. Sometimes you look at people and want that joy and peace they so clearly convey forgetting during this comparison about the battle they are facing everyday.

As I said in my last post I've been struggling and still am but that caused me to be disheartened because I thought if anywhere, this is where I should be happiest. I've come to realise there is never really a time when we aren't struggling, Christian or not, it's part of the life we live. Whether it's relationships, careers, school, self-esteem, lack of purpose or just ignoring the problems, we all face them. It's how we deal with them that show who we are and who we belong to, the world or Jesus Christ. There is no inbetween.

On Sunday, the pastor at Roman Road Church looked at the famous words of Paul in Romans 12:1-2 and the description used in the second verse really stuck with me:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I think quite a lot of the time when we hear the word 'transformation' we have this image of a sudden life-changing and spectaular change which in some cases is true but really, more often than not, is more of a gradual change. We often forget this and get disheartened when all we can see is the failures and troubles mounting up.

This verse holds such hope and promise, even the words make me smile! We can throw off every last burden and trouble and be transformed by God himself. He will renew us, mind, body and soul. I find that truly incredible.

I've let my weaknesses and failings mask this hope and instead of turning to my Heavenly Father I've tried to ignore them. I should have learnt by now that never works! It just leaves an empty pit in my stomach that, no matter how hard I've tried, is never satisfied with anything but God himself.

I think that is one of the things I've learnt at my time here at Tilsley and no doubt I'll keep on learning it for the years to come but I don't think the glory of the verse will ever stop amazing me.

So that's how I've been doing! Sorry if your bit of light reading was ruined but thought it was worth sharing and you know how I love the complex rather than the norm.

I will be so sad to say goodbye to everyone on Saturday but I do feel ready to move on as much I hate to admit it. It's hard to convey how much I will miss the college but I am grateful for the time God had given me here, I've learnt a lot and made life-long friends and I feel prepared for whatever God's got in store although I know it's not going to be easy!