Today we traveled to one of the under-resourced centers to do my fire safety lesson. I pretty much have the story memorized and the games perfected at this point. Samantha got to give out more teddy bears today which is always exciting to witness.
After the lesson, we stopped on the way home to eat lunch together at Steers. On the way there, I had a major break through in the realization of why this fast food place was named Steers (because of the cow, burgers, etc). You learn something new each day! Anywho, this one particular Steers is slightly different than all the others that I have seen in South Africa. Although they all have the same food, this Steers is located over one of the highways in a bridge-like fashion. This simply means that as you enjoy your lunch, you get to watch all of the cars pass by while hoping that the foundation and structure of the building is safe and sturdy.
After lunch, we traveled to Macro, which is similar to our Sam's Club in the U.S. Debbie and Lonnie go to Macro each month to stock up on rice, beans, samp, etc., for the four under resourced centers that they are involved with. Through these school centers, small children and the kids that arrive after school are able to be fed two meals each day. They feed about 270 kids in total. It was an incredible experience to be a part of as without Debbie & Lonnie and their Abba's Pride organization, many of these kids would not be eating one prepared meal a day, much less two.
------------
For the past few weeks, I've been blogging about being faithful and obedient to God through the good and bad times in life. I've been sharing with you my thoughts and feelings about trusting in God when things don't go your way and having peace in knowing that God's plan is much better than our own.
Well, God decided today that he would test my philosophy on the matter. I can talk the talk but he wants to see if I can walk the walk. Challenge accepted.
Since high school, I have thoroughly prepared myself as an applicant for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program at TCC. I have taken all the required classes, maintained exceptional grades, excelled in a medical background, interviewed and even wrote an impressive eight page research paper. However, I found out today that I did not get accepted into the program.
Although I was put on the "alternative list", so did eight other applicants who were also included in the email notification. Upon applying to the program, I knew that it was competitive. When I say competitive, I mean that out of the 250 people that apply, they only accept 15 individuals. However, I was well prepared and I had been banking on being accepted for the past few months. In saying that, I was devastated after reading the email. I felt as if all of my hard work and all that I had done in preparing was pointless and a waste of time. As I cried to Dalene and then again with my mom via FaceTime, I had a moment of grief and disappointment.
BUT, in the midst of my frustration with myself that I should've done this better, or studied harder for that, a revelation occurred within me.
I wholeheartedly believe that in life, disappointment will occur. Bad things are bound to happen. It's inevitable. But, in those times of despair and displeasure, it's the way that you handle the situation that matters the most. It's not about how many times you fall or stumble but rather how graceful you get back up.
I realized that this is a perfect example of how God tests us in our faith. As I have been busy blogging about finding hope when one door closes that another will open, I was still semi-confident that this particular door would remain open for me. Now that it is slowly closing, I have no choice but to live by the words that I inspirationally wrote for my blog readers. Now, I am truly, without a doubt, content in knowing that it just wasn't right for me and God has something better in mind. In the meantime, I look forward to growing in my faith. I look forward to the upcoming trials and tests that God has in store for me. I will handle them with grace and an unfailing trust that God's plan for me will be far better than my own.
For God knows the plans he has for me. Plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Plans to give me a hope and a future.
xoxo
Taylor
No comments:
Post a Comment