Birds + Bees

Okay, okay, I brought you to this post on false pretenses. I will not be informing you on “nature’s way” tonight. If you came here for that… sorry to be a disappointment? I actually won’t even be talking about bees either. Wow, that title really is misleading. Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.

As some of my readers may know, and some may not, on May 6 I graduated from Grace University with my Bachelors of Science in Communication Studies. As you can tell from my smile in the photo below, I was (and still am) pretty stoked to have reached this milestone in my life. That pure excitement lasted about 4 hours before something stole my joy… fear and worry.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still so happy and excited that I no longer have to write papers and go to class. I am excited to get to apply my knowledge and skills that I have spent time gaining, but with that comes a huge transition. As a professor at Grace is known for saying (looking at you Dr. Linder), “transitions are key.” Now, he was talking about transitions on a more educational level, but that statement can be applied to life as well.

The transition from year to year has always been relatively easy for me. I have always known what I would be doing year after year. It starts with an s and rhymes with pool, that’s right, school. For the past 17 years, my life has been school and now school is done. Before you say, “not necessarily, you could always go back to blah blah blah,” let me stop you. I do not need that negativity in my life. I am D O N E with school, so don’t you dare steal my joy by mentioning more school.

Even though I am excited to never have to write another paper or participate in another discussion board (praise the Lord above), that excitement is easily overshadowed by uncertainty. In the past few weeks of this major transition, I have found myself worrying about what the next year, month, week, even day will bring. Thankfully, though, the Lord and people in my life continually remind me of the truth that is evident in Matthew.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the over, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Matthew 6:25-34

As I reflect on that passage and am reminded of my value to God and His love for me, I realize the silliness of my worry and fear. Am I not more valuable than the birds of the air? In this transition I will choose to throw away fear and to seek first the Kingdom of God. Then, and only then, will I truly learn to grow and change into the woman He has created me to be. Stay tuned as I learn to transition well, fully leaning on God and His promises.