Just Stop expecting

As the Holiday season is here I find myself grateful. Going from a month of giving thanks and counting every single blessing that I have just because it is the thing to do, then going to a month where all we do is expect. We Expect people to spend loads of money on us and give us so many presents. We Expect there to be delicious food. The two months are completely contradicting. Our society has become so warped. We no longer are grateful we just expect.

Having finals next week I have become completely overwhelmed with so much, studying for hours on end, attempting to get a good night sleep in so I don’t get sick, finding time to eat, work, and do things with friends so that I simply do not go crazy. I sometimes forget to take a step back and become grateful at how blessed that I am.

I am blessed because I go to an amazing College where I can freely and continually talk about my amazing creator with the people around me, I go to a college where I get to worship daily, I go to a college where reading the bible is not just my enjoyment but it is homework. I have an amazing support system around me, not only the new friendships that I have made at school but an amazing supportive family back home that encourages me every single day, an amazing church family back home that I know is praying for me, and an amazing supportive boyfriend that encourages me in my faith and in my studies. I am so blessed beyond belief.

This year my mother and I decided to do something a little different, we decided that we would not have Christmas, now I don’t mean become scrouge and hate the season (we both love the season more than anyone,) but instead we decided that we would not get any gifts from people and that we would take the money that people would spend on us and use it to go to Guatemala and bless an orphanage there. Now I do not say this to make myself seem better than the rest, I simply use it as an example. Since deciding to take this trip in August we have raised enough funds to get us to Guatemala, to bless the orphanage with the things that they need to function and provide a healthy living environment for the children there, and to take the children on a surprise trip to the zoo. These facts alone have blown me away with the amount that I am blessed. I find myself at times overwhelmed and brought to tears when I think about how all of this has come together.

I just encourage you to not get wrapped up with the holiday season and the thought of excepting, but to consider yourself blessed in numerous ways. Bless someone around you a simple card can do many wonders. I hope you have an amazing Holiday and I will be writing again shortly.