Concentrate!!

As this adorable video from Sesame Street shows, concentrating is very important to do, but is often a difficult task. It is extremely easy to become distracted by anything. It doesn't have to be something obvious like Facebook or YouTube, it can be as simple as a fly or a piece of candy that distracts me from my schoolwork. Concentration is an extremely important skill to possess in college, though, because large volumes of homework and exams demand lots of extra study time. I've found the best way for me to concentrate is to isolate myself. Whether that be wearing headphones, going to the library, or sitting on a bench, being alone helps me to be productive and to concentrate. Once I'm alone, concentration becomes much easier. Others have different techniques, but the same principle applies. In order to concentrate, eliminate distractions!

Encouragement

Moving to college can be a disheartening experience at times. College tends to show me how little I actually do know. I have some great friends on campus, but I've only lived here about 6 weeks, so no super deep bonds have formed yet. I don't normally get discouraged easily, but I was definitely there last week. I was honestly feeling very down, overwhelmed, and lonely. I got a text from Caleb, a friend of mine who does not attend North Greenville, saying this: "John 14:27 Peace be with you, My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.- I pray that you will be able to not worry about homework, college, major and minor decisions, your job and whatever else that might be stressing you out. God already has a plan set for you even though we can't see it right now. Whatever is meant to be will happen! Love you Chelsea and have an amazing day!" This encouraging message came at a perfect time, and Caleb had no idea what was going on that day. He's done several encouraging things like this since I moved. Some people are said to have the gift of encouragement, and Caleb fits perfectly in that category. Thank the Lord for friends!

Conviction

Just a note: I promise, I'm not writing on all of these serious topics to make myself seem smart. I'm just writing from my experiences and thoughts as this semester progresses.
North Greeenville is a very missions-minded school, that is obvious. This week, however, the missions ante was upped a bit. This week is global missions week here on campus and we've been having special chapels, dinners, and other events since Monday. Tonight, I attended one of the bonus chapels. Admittedly, my reason for going was selfish. I wanted an extra chapel credit in order to earn an extra chapel skip. God had other plans, however, and the service was very convicting to me. The speaker was very passionate about what he'd experienced on the mission field and challenged us from Scripture to not see if we were called, but be ready to go where God wanted us to. I felt God convicting me over my heart, or lack thereof, and my complacency of late. My heart is not as concerned as it should be for the lost. I'm content to sit back and "let God work" while I go on living my great American life. This is not what God expects of me. He expects me to be passionately concerned about every single soul that hasn't had a chance to hear the Gospel. I was humbled in bonus chapel tonight by the conviction of my own selfishness. I don't know yet where God wants me to serve, but I'm here, ready and willing.

First Essay Experience

My first official college essay has been an interesting experience. The MLA format and I have never been friends. In fact, we're not even acquaintances. Despite my and MLA's relational challenges, I managed to cope. I had a bit of writer's block early on in my writing process. (Judging by the length of some of my previous posts, it may sound impossible.) I finally decided on the descriptive essay on my favorite place as a child. I wrote about the woods behind my grandparents' house. Coming up with colorful, appropriate descriptions was more challenging than I anticipated. When the essay was finally finished, formatted, double-checked, and triple-checked I printed it out to turn in. The process for writing this essay was stressful, but it also provided me with a trip down memory lane, which I enjoyed very much.

The Beauty of Skype

 Since I've moved to North Greenville I've been homesick. Most of the time, I'm a happy, well-adjusted freshman who really does enjoy college life. Homesickness, however, is inevitable for a freshman. I've lived with the same people for eighteen years. I know my family inside and out and the routine of life together seemed as natural as breathing. College, however, separated me completely  from my family. There are obviously good and bad sides to that and I know we all must break away sometime. I did it, and I'm surviving! I do, however, get homesick from time to time. I miss seeing my family, eating my mom's food (that may be the thing I miss most), being at my home church, and driving without the aid of my GPS. On those days where I just can't stand it and a phone call isn't quite enough, I have a glorious thing called Skype!

Skype is a free, downloadable program that allows anyone with high speed internet access and a web cam to video call anyone else with the same features on their computer. (Skype allows its users to do many other things such as chat, call landlines, and much more, but I want to focus on the video calls.) Aside from the undeniable cool factor, Skype allows people who are far from each other to communicate "face to face". I can see and talk to my family, despite the fact that they're three hours away! It is amazing to see their expressions and hear their stories on my computer! If it were not for Skype, I think I'd be homesick a lot more.

Freshman Retreat

This weekend I was incredibly blessed to be a part of BSU's freshman retreat. Eight freshman [all girls!] went with the BSU counsel to a beautiful retreat center to spend Friday night and the majority of Saturday. We spent our time getting to know each other, hearing great messages, singing together, and playing crazy board games. The amazing thing about the weekend was the way the BSU leadership loved on us freshman. They were completely open. They listened, offered advice, and laughed with us. As a freshman, it's sometimes intimidating to try to make friends with upperclassmen who seem to have it all together. This weekend showed me that they're excited to hang out with freshman and make us feel welcome. That simple willingness really shows me that they "walk the walk" that they talk about every week in BSU. These people are real and I see Christ's love through them.

Walk Humbly

"If someone offered you an award for your humility, should you accept it?" My grandfather has asked me that question many times, but I can't seem to come with a satisfactory answer. If I accepted the honor, would that then prove I have pride in my humility? Is that even possible? God's final requirement in Micah 6:8 is for us, as believers, to walk humbly. Admittedly, humility is not something that comes naturally to any of us. I tend to mistake quiet shyness for humility. While that can indeed be the case, many times it's our pride that keeps us quiet. In my own life, for example, I tend to clam up and not answer questions in class if I believe there's a chance my answer won't be right. That's not humility, that's pride. I don't want to be wrong or appear foolish so I just don't talk. That is not what the Lord means by walk humbly. We're not to simply seem humble, we are to walk that way. Humility should be a natural outpouring of our love for God, but oftentimes we let our stubborn, sinful, human pride get in the way. To fully live in God's will, we must push aside our selfish pride and walk in humbleness. Humility could mean looking foolish in front of people or being told how wrong you really are. But it's those instances that strengthen our humility and allow it to become a more central part to our Christian lives.

Love Mercy

"And you, o man, what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God." Micah 6:8. My last post touched on the first of the three requirements, so this one will follow suit with the second requirement. Micah tell us that the Lord expects us to "Love Mercy" and this one, admittedly isn't much easier than the last. Sure, in theory, it seems like a cinch. Mercy seems like a pretty easy thing to get on board with. God shows mercy every second of every day. Simply breathing each day is a mercy from God. This post would never end if I listed all the mercies God provides me each day. That verse, however, isn't talking only about God's mercy. We are told to love it. Easy, right? It is not as simple as it seems. We don't always see God's mercies as a good thing. How many times have our plans fallen to pieces and we've been angry with God. Why did He let that happen? Didn't He know how long I've been planning that? We rant and rail about the unfairness of it all. What's most important in these situations is perspective and retrospect. God has the ultimate perspective and He truly knows what's going help His followers to accomplish His will. How many times have my plans failed and, at a later date, I see that God was preventing or protecting me. I then thank and praise God for His provision and mercy on me. If I'm supposed to love mercy, should I not love it all the time, even when it's not convenient for me? That's extremely convicting for me. I need to be consistently loving mercy in order to be in line with God's requirements for my life as a believer, but how often do I?