What’s Up Wednesday

hearing Boaz crunch on an apple that I deemed too old for me to eat

seeing the book of Luke and my DSM book

thinking that I’m ready for spring and to be able to go outside!

doing bible reading, breaking free, and a final exam

looking forward to seeing sigur ros, going to virginia, and planning another vacay

feeling content and happy to have Boaz home

touching the wooden chairs my grandmother made

missing africa and friends

thankful for being able to sleep in, cereal, pretty wedding pictures, marriage, friends, sunlight, mountains

excited about going to the mountains again

coming up easter, spring, and ally & levi coming home!

something old the shorts i’m wearing that i love

something new a super soft liberty sweatshirt that i got for free

something blue Boaz’s chew toy

Options Galore

I am horrible at making concrete, set, firm decisions.  I have a love/hate relationship with options and choices.  I love examining them, processing, thinking through, weighing out the pros and cons, ect.  Yet the more options I have the harder and longer I take in making a decision!  Plus, I defend and criticize every side, every angle, every outcome.  I prefer discussing each side thoroughly than making a decision.

My thoughts lately have turned to graduate school/seminary.  This turns into a litany of ratings, schools, programs, likes, desires, requirements.  Do I do the SemPM program at Bethel? Or would I rather get a Masters of Counseling?  Or what about Marriage and Family Counseling from Bethel Sem.? What about writing? Or maybe I want to go to Northwestern for their M.A.T.s program?  Or a teaching license?  Better yet, what about law school or political science or history? Do I apply now or wait a year? Who do I use as my references and what about my letters of intent?

You get the picture.  The questions go on and on 🙂 I’ll let you know if I ever make a decision!

Plans

I’m a planner.  I make plans, make back-up plans, back-up of the back-up plan, and so forth.  I package up this nice, neat red ribboned box of how everything should go and often get upset or disappointed when the plan does not happen.  Though, most of the time what does happen turns out even better or at least I adjust and learn to enjoy anyway.  So, why do I still plan?? I feel safe.  I feel in control.  I have direction.  For me, plans can motivate, inspire and provide a goal, but they can also hinder and restrict.

My plans to go to college and graduate school helped motivate me to perform well in school.  Planning to transfer pushed me to go through the application process, trust, and step into an unknown situation.  Planning to spend time reading the Bible, devotions, in prayer, with friends, ect. all have sometimes allowed me to positively use my time and resources.

Yet, sometimes my plans consist of the “expected” or “safe” thing to do.  For example, I expected and those around me expected I would go to some sort of graduate school or law school right after college…yet that does not seem to be happening anytime soon.  Even though I was unsure and did not really know if I wanted to go, I still went right ahead and planned and acted as if I were going to go.  These type of plans can narrow my vision and place me in another cookie-cutter life plan chasing after “success.”

Here are the verses my NASB Concordance came up with under plan:

PLAN design, scheme

Exodus 26:30

Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

Isaiah 25:1

O Lord, You are my God;

I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;

For You have worked wonders,

Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness

Jeremiah 18:12

But they will say, “It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.”

Acts 2:23

this Man was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

For the first time in a VERY long time, I am plan-less.  I have no clue what I’ll be doing next week let alone a month or two from now.  The only thing I know is that I have housing until May–even that I could leave if I absolutely needed to (I don’t plan on doing that though!).  Also, I don’t have another person to factor into my plans/actions.  Oddly freeing, yet ridiculously sad and scary.  Not going to lie, I miss my plans…

-Katy Rose

p.s. I’m getting a mac!