Keep Dreaming

25 is right around the corner. I love birthdays and like you, I get excited for my own. Since it is 25, I'm wondering if this is the last birthday that I can get excited for.

Really. What is after 25? I'm crossing society's final threshold. I'm now allowed to rent a car and my insurance rate will finally drop to something reasonable (I hope).

24 is young but I've still learned quite a few things. So I'm going to share them once a week until October 27 is finally here.

So Lesson #1. Keep Dreaming.

I've always been an idealist. The kind of person that eat rainbows and poops butterflies (quoting Dr. Suess here). It can drive my family, friends, and me a bit nuts but I will always dream big dreams.

My dreams are what made me write the President when he was a Senator and tell him that I hope he runs for office. I received a letter back from him not too long after--a treasure whether you lean left or right.

My dreams are what made me apply for a summer internship in Washington, D.C. when I was in college. I met lifetime friends and learned so much about life on the Hill and off.

Dreams don't always come true and I'm thankful for that-- I wouldn't change the sequence of my life for anything. The blessings are too big to compare to the blips of disappointment and heartache.

But I've also seen that the happiest and most grounded people are the ones who continue to put goals in front of them.

When you're out of college, it's up to you to create dreams for yourself. It's a crossroad for most people--am I done or do I keep going? 

KEEP GOING. I wanted to quit when I graduated college with a pile of debt and no job. I was convinced that there was no way that I was going to become a writer. Three years later I'm writing and still dreaming. 

Successful people have goals for themselves. It's not elementary to keep a journal or write out a 3, 5 or 10 year plan. Instead it shows that you're not willing to settle for the present--you expect more from yourself and your life then just the current predicament.

So go, dream away!

I finished!

Yes, I did! I ran 3.1 miles in 32 minutes which would not have happened if my friends we're not pushing (dragging) me along the way.

It was a numbing 19 degrees when we woke up at 5:45 in the morning.
The run that we thought we were running in a shirt and shorts turned out to need layers and layers of shirts and jackets, tights and shorts, 2 pairs of socks and something to cover the ears. Something that's not very easy to find at Target the night before.

Nonetheless we did it. With 10,000 other people!
And eventhough there was a risk for hypothermia, Hanna ran the 15K and ran it well! She finished in an hour and 30.

The best part about the run? The chocolate, duh. That warm fondue hit exactly the right spot.

So proud of myself for finishing my goal! It makes my run in March so much less intimidating. I even think I can beat my time! I guess I just can't believe that the perspective I have now. Before 3.1 miles seemed like forever, and now--I'm ready for the next challenge.

Though paying money to put pressure on my legs and lungs with thousands of other people makes no sense when you think about it (what's wrong with us?), the effort deserves a reward. Chocolate, medal, appreciation, whatever!

Whatever your goals may be, push through until you achieve what you set out for!
If you need something to work for, don't wait for someone else to give you something to do.

When you leave the academic world, it's nice to know that the burden of finishing a paper for the class you dread is gone. But it may have been the one thing that kept you working your brain, your muscles!

Take a step back. Are you doing all that you can do with your potential? Yes, all I did was run a race. A very short one in many eyes. But I need that confidence, that assurance to know that I'm capable of that and much more.

You are, too. Go seek it.

In hindsight

Last night, I was at watch night service with the rest of my church family and was looking forward to sharing my testimony--how the Lord has guided and provided for me this year. I wasn't able to so I thought I'd share my story here.

I've briefly talked about it before but it started with graduating from college with a degree in journalism from Baylor University. I wish I could say I was happy that day but it one of the most frightening days of my life.

I graduated with a degree that my family didn't want me to get.
From a school they didn't want me to go to.

And what they said would happen, did happen. I didn't have a job and in six months, I was to start paying back student loans.

But that wasn't the scary part.

I had to move back home. My plans of moving to Austin with my best friend were thwarted by the economic climate (and UT kids taking all the jobs there).

What came after were months of rage, depression, anger, anxiety and loneliness. I was extremely angry with God for where he was taking my life. I took the rage out on my family, making for tense living arrangements and for relationships that were only hanging by a thread.

In hindsight, their love and patience astound me. My family was unconditional and steady when almost nothing in my life was. It brings me to tears to think of what I put them through. I can say that I'm thankful but that doesn't begin to explain the feeling. 


I started looking for jobs in January and I didn't find one. February came and went. Then it was March. I was tired, weary and at the end of my rope with God. My relationship with Him was nil. I was desperate and a friend suggested that I go back to Him. I started re-reading The Purpose Driven Life and keeping a prayer journal, to remind me of what I was asking for and how God was answering my prayers.

In hindsight, I know that God was testing my faith. I did not depend on him to meet my needs. I thought I could do everything on my own. He had to pull me back and though the wilderness was brutal, I couldn't have asked for a more God-filled year. His presence has been overwhelming. I know He's orchestrating something beautiful and I'm just one piece. My job is to answer His call and be His face on this earth. Though I stumble and fall, He will catch me on put me back on my feet. He always has.

In April, I found a great job. I still live at home and it's been hard at times but great. I'm so happy I got the opportunity to rekindle my relationship with my family after being gone for so long. I still have my best friends but I have new friends, too.

If your life seems like its falling and nothing is going right, it's probably because you weren't going the right way in the first place. Fall towards God. He will make your ways straight. His plan is better. And with Him, you have nothing to lose.

I want you to be all mine. I am weaning you from other dependencies. Your security rests me on me alone--not in other people, not in circumstances. Depending only on me may seem like walking on a tightrope, but there is a safety net underneath: the everlasting arms. So don't be afraid of falling. Instead, look ahead to me. I am always before you, beckoning you on.--one step at a time. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate you from My loving presence. 
-Sarah Young, Jesus Calling