Fall 2015 at a Glimpse

If I had to pick three words to describe the past four months of my life at Moody, I would choose: arduous, transforming, & fulfilling.


1. ar·du·ous
:involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.

I knew going into this semester that taking 19 credits was going to be a challenge. Well, was I ever right! I had some really fantastic classes though--Systematic Theology, Faith & Learning, Intro to Counseling, Hermeneutics, Sign Language and Teaching the Bible Practicum. Let me tell you, I have never written as many papers, spent as much time in a library, listened to as much classical music, used as many secondary sources, studied as hard, or wrestled with as many concepts & class material, as I have in this one semester alone! So, it was tough. But I am more than thankful for the challenge and how faithful the Lord was to teach me. My biggest take-away from this arduous endeavor has been to slow down and forget about the grade, while instead looking to the One from whom all things come from and to which all things matter. Maybe that sounds simple or obvious but that perspective change alone for me has radically changed my heart in learning!

Also, I'd just like to say, I wrote a 13 page, SINGLE SPACED, hermeneutics paper on 5 verses in Ephesians. Literally the biggest academic accomplishment of my life. Thank you.


2. trans·form 

:causing or able to cause a change. especially : causing someone's life to be different or better in some important way.

Specifically, I'm talking about the mind. God has completely transformed my mind and I am excited about how He will continue to do so. One class through which God did this was Faith & Learning. We studied Worldview and looked at the different components that make up our worldviews (Theology, Axiology, Epistemology, Ontology, Anthropology, & Logic). When I was honest with myself, I was able to see how unbiblical my thinking processes are and how inconsistent my lifestyle is with the theology I hold to--in theory. I was able to recognize how informed my mind is by the secular because of education in public school and intertwining myself so easily with the world's practices. I praise God for the exposure of this in my life alone. I praise Him again for training my mind, now, to be informed by Him alone. I learned how to think, how to ground myself first in God's Word, how to analyze & evaluate, and how to integrate my faith in my learning (in everyday life).


3. ful·fill·ing

:making someone satisfied or happy because of fully developing their character or abilities.


As time goes on, I continue to learn an incredible amount about myself, relationships, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, joy, truth, and life in general! I definitely haven't reached the point of perfection (I never will here) but I have never been as satisfied in all I had/am/hoped for than this semester! There is so much joy & freedom in being able to say that. I truly have felt so satisfied in the Lord as my heart has found contentment in living in the city of Chicago (believe me, that took a year!), joy in good community, excitement in studying counseling, and even in the challenges I faced (often times my own heart is the biggest) I have found myself surprised at how okay I am in the midst of them. *At the end of the day, I have found fulfillment in my Savior. In the midst of the good days and the bad, I am (still) learning the deep joy of Salvation. Trusting in God is the most fulfilling as everything else would fail in comparison... to measure up to the goodness of God nothing comes within even a light year.


So, I am thankful for this past semester. I definitely have needed the break. I am stoked about what's coming next. I will continue on and find out!