Not the act of shepherdessing, of course, but the blog. I knew I wouldn't blog much over the summer since I went on a seven week mission's trip to Europe, but now that it's September I've had the urge to start blogging again. I haven't entered into it yet, however, because I am not sure if I can be consistent enough to make my blog "worth it".
But I do not want to neglect my desire and ability to write just because of fear or uncertainty, so I will dive in and see where shepherdessing takes me this semester. That's right, I said semester, which means I am back in school! God taught me a lot this summer, including the idea that I can take my passions for member care and nutrition and use them together in one career. I now have a certain dream-to become a registered dietician, work here in the States with people on personalized-lifestyle diet plans, and fund myself to offer free nutrition seminars to missionaries overseas at member care conferences.
First step-beef up my BA with about 30 units of science! This means I am taking classes at the community college, which has been way more challenging to figure out than I expected.
One valuable spiritual lesson I've gleaned from the difficulty of getting into overcrowded classes is that God sometimes asks us to be persistent. At times in the process, it was difficult to discern whether God was closing a door or simply giving me the opportunity to practice persistence. I prayed that his will would be done and kept moving until he said, "stop" (which in this case, he did not). It took attending two sections of the same class for two weeks, plus multiple phone calls and emails-including one to the dean of Chemistry-for me to finally be given an add code for the final class I needed. This may all sound a little overdramatic, but my point is: in the midst of this little journey, I had a hard time telling if I was holding on to my dream too tightly or if my dream was just going to be one of hard work.
While God does not always clearly tell us if a door is opened or closed, I have learned that it is easier and more realistic to try and hear his voice if I am already moving. Sitting and waiting can be valuable, especially if the decision at hand has high stakes. But in this case, God showed me that my movement and persistence toward a goal I would like to see reached allowed me to see his will more clearly in my life.
I don't know if I will get into my master's program of choice and become a registered dietician in the timeline I see fit, but God knows. And he is faithful by revealing just enough at once. I know that for now, he has directed me to a semester of 8 units, GRE prep, 30 hours of work, and a women's wellness ministry. And for now, that is my dream come true.
Photo: me with some beautiful fruit at an open-air market in Madrid this summer
