Tell Me A Story 6/20/2021

"Tell your story" - by Jean Sullivan

Scripture: Book of Esther [link]

Listen along on Facebook [link] or YouTube [link].

We heard from the VBS kids a bit ago about the Book of Esther. What a great job they did teaching us about that story. There are so many great lessons in the book of Esther, and I found a few that really resonated with me.

God is always at work behind the scenes. He had a plan for Esther all along, and put her right where he needed her to be.

He also gave her a trusted advisor in Mordecai. A counselor to guide her and coach her on tough decisions.

And He gave Esther the courage to find her identity and reveal it to others.

My story is about the time I was finishing high school and transitioning into college.

I think you can agree, that throughout your journey in faith, there are lots of ups and downs. Times when you feel really closest to God and strong in your faith. when His Word is that the forefront of you decision-making. And then...there are other times when your faith isn't so strong. when you forget to involve Him and lean on His teachings. Times when your distant from faith...

For me, that time was these years of late high school and college.

Toward the end of high school, I was trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.

It's was a tough transition from being a kid to a young adult. Changing from being under your parents guidance and protection and opinions, to being exposed the adult issues and having to form your own opinions and communicated them. I felt insecure and awkward. I was frustrated and a little angry at times. I wanted to be unique. I was exploring different personalities, wearing costumes. I changed my looks, changed my group of friends, changed my activities.

When it came time to choose a college, I wanted nothing to do with making that choice. I knew I wanted to go, mostly for the independence. But didn't care to be engaged in choosing. I told myself all school were basically the same. student union, dorms, campus life. I wouldn't even go on campus visits. My parents had to trick me into a college interview, telling me it was just an informational meeting. In hindsight, it was because I was scared. didn't want to be responsible for making the wrong choice. at the time, i didnt recognize this, I of course was totally in charge.

So somehow the choice was made and I ended up at Grove Coty college. a small Christian school in western PA.

I arrived to find a school of quirky traditions and rules, lots of overachievers, and a lot of strong Christian students.

It was a tough first year, continuing that journey of figuring out who I wanted to be. But, God gave me the courage to stick it out. I got involved, tried everything and started piecing together characteristics of the person I wanted to be. I became more outgoing and befriended as many people as I could.

It wasn't always roses, I had conflicts, heartbreaks, academic challenges...

But, It was a safe environment, a fresh start leaving the past behind. Being with people who might have had different opinions, but everyone was grounded in a strong Christian foundation. I had enough independence to explore who I wanted to be.

I met the most wonderful people there. role models, friends, advisors. To this day, my closest friends and confidants came from there. People who coach me and forgive me and teach me, all with love and empathy.

I know completely that God was responsible putting me there. He had a plan for me. All along, He knew exactly where I needed to be. He knew the type of people that needed to surround me. He gave me courage to find out who I wanted to be.

As I continue on this journey in faith, I look back at that time in my life as a reminder to always trust in His sovereignty.