God is good, always

Hello! I always find it funny that I say "hello" when I start my blog posts, but in reality I'm not even sure anyone ever reads these, but none the less I believe if I put this out there maybe someone will find it useful!

So I've been going through quite a lot in my life recently: I graduated from college in May, moved back home, had to find a part-time job, and I made the decision to pursue my professional golf career. Quite a lot to take in if you ask me and it all happened so quickly! Earlier this summer I was feeling a little depressed because I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to do with my life and although I was going to continue to play golf I didn't know if I'd be any good at it. Then God spoke to me.

I've always been a Christian and I grew up knowing who God was and that He is always good, but I never really spent time with Him and I never got to know Him, but thankfully He changed that. A couple weeks ago my college golf coach invited me to a weekend retreat in Toledo. It all happened so quickly that I didn't really have time to think about it so I said "yes." Looking back now, God knew exactly what He was doing. For three whole days I turned off my cell phone and was taken away from all sense of time, and it was the most amazing experience! It was a women's weekend and I met some amazing women who I know will be with me for the rest of my life. God was present all weekend and He knew what I had been going through and the only way to help me was to get me out of the world for three days to spend it all with Him.

It was hard coming back to reality after such an amazing weekend, but it has changed my life for the better! I still struggle every now and again, but I have learned a lot and now that Jesus Christ is truly the center of my life, I know that I'll be okay no matter what life throws my way. So to anyone reading this wondering what this is all about or to the reader  who knows God, I'll share just a few things I do in my walk with Christ:

1. Pray. I started praying every night a couple years ago, but slowly lost that habit when I felt my life changing, now I'm back and it feels amazing! The powerful of prayer is an amazing thing. So whether you're just getting started or have been a believer for a long while I encourage you to pray, and to pray about everything. If you're worried, pray; if you feel lonely, pray; if you're struggling, pray. God will hear you and He will answer you in His time.

2. Read your Bible. Throughout my life I had always wanted to read the Bible all the way through, but in reality it sat on my shelf and I never really touched it, but it has become my favorite book! If you're looking for a place to start I would recommend starting with the Gospel of John. It will make you a believer if you are not and will strengthen your faith if you are a believer! I am reading through John again and I am amazed at how many things I missed the first time around! Chapter 17 truly is a blessing from God!

3. Love each other. The Bible is filled with scriptures that say to love one another! "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34. This can be incredibly hard to do especially to people you may not particularly like, but to be disciples of Christ is to love everyone.

So these are just a few things I do (and try to do) on a daily basis! Not sure how many people will ever see this post, but my prayer is that this may help one person. Remember always that God is good :)


Jen

Reflections

It's been many months since I last even looked at my blog and since it's a new year I thought I would get back to blogging. There's no better time like the present, right? I am in the midst of my Christmas break and still have a week of relaxing before my final semester of undergrad begins, but I've been thinking about how crazy my life is going to get during 2015 and I simply wanted to reflect before I got too ahead of myself.

I've had quite an interesting and unique college experience--one that many college students don't get to experience. I am a division 1 athlete, something that many students don't get the opportunity to call themselves. I have grown since my freshman year in many ways; I have become a tougher person, and I have learned a lot about myself. It's quite amazing to me to think back to what kind of a person I was my freshman year and the person I am today. I've grown a lot in my faith over the years and have really just started to dive deeper and figure out what exactly my faith is and so far its been an exciting journey. I've broken out of my shell quite a bit as well over the years. I'm still  quite shy and fairly quiet and I often keep to myself, but I more openly ask questions and talk more to people that normally I would not have. I have also learned how to deal with and learn from the mistakes I make. I made a couple mistakes that sometimes I wish I could go back and change and they weigh quite heavily on my shoulders from time to time, but I'm slowly learning to let go of those mistakes and learn from them.

For right now though, I'm reflecting on the past and looking forward to the future, but ultimately I'm living in the present moment. I'm loving life right now and loving the people that I am surrounded by so I'm going to enjoy my life one day at a time and whatever comes I will let it come.