Into the Realm of the Unknown

It's been a long time since I blogged.

Yeah, I know you knew that, but I just couldn't think of any better statement to start this article with. :)

This summer has been awesome--I have already completed two classes (Intro to Public Speaking and Health for Life), and am currently taking Precalc Algebra.

In July I had a lot of fun as I traveled the nation (well, California and Michigan, plus Ohio and Kentucky too!) and visited my grandparents. I had a lot of fun geocaching and visiting historical locations, such as the western terminus of the Pony Express and later the Transcontinental Railroad in Sacramento, California; the California State Capitol (also in Sacramento); or the Mary Todd Lincoln home in Lexington, Kentucky. Be sure to check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss any of the videos I shot at all of these and many more historical locations!

But that's what has already happened. Now is now, and "now" defined more clearly means returning to college at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. Last year I had the privilege of being one of Southern's Freshman Bloggers. That is, I got paid to write weekly articles about life as a student at Southern (read them here). Can't beat that! :D I enjoyed that so much, I had serious thoughts about keeping that practice up--hence why I renamed this blog (which I've owned for years) "The Sophomore Blogger".

Well, as all can see the summer sped by and I didn't blog at all. But, the school year is start up 'bout now in these parts of Tennessee, and I think I shall make another attempt at blogging again! While I can't promise that every week I'll write an article (deadlines did help last year with Freshman Bloggers!), I will try to write regular semi-weekly updates. But you will have to understand, actually doing college take priority over blogging about college, so if anything has to go in order for me to get the grades I need, it'll be this blogging. HOWEVER, Sabbath afternoons I typically have free so then again I might be able to do weekly articles! We'll just have to see! :D

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So what significant occurrences have transpired in the last two weeks, you ask? Well, let's see...

As I previously stated, I'm taking Precalc Algebra. I must confess, I stepped into class that first day (July 29) with a little trepidation. Math and I have never exactly been best friends before! Not that I have anything against math; it's just that it's really hard for me to understand, even when I apply myself with everything I've got.

This class has been a breath of fresh air.

My professor is absolutely awesome! I just love how he explains the mathematical concepts, for me the way he does it in is so easy (and fun!) to understand. He's also super nice and friendly, will answer homework questions, and I really appreciate the College Faith devotionals that he reads to us each and every morning. It's a new--and fun--experience to actually understand math, but one that I really like!!

What I find more of a challenge, however, is the pace at which we are going. Being a summer class, that means that in one month we cover what in the school year is covered in like four months. We have two lectures a day, five days a week, rather than three lectures a week (i.e., a Monday-Wednesday-Friday sort of thing). There's around 20 homework problems per lecture, so I end up doing around 40 problems a day. Class is in the morning, I do homework in the afternoon, and if I have actually finished homework by supper time (yay! But that doesn't always happen...) I study for my weekly tests. I did really well on my first test, and I think I did pretty good on my second test, which was this past Friday.

As you can imagine, this class is most definitely a full-time job!

Yet even with how hard this class is, just as much God has been helping me through. Last school year one thing that really stood out to me was how much God helped me--yes, me!--through all my trials, tribulations, and challenges of college. Usually that translated into having way not enough time to study for tests that were always way too close at hand, but somehow, someway, He always helped me through. I did my best, and God did the rest. He always helped me through. Ellen White had a great way of saying this in her book Messages to Young People, on p. 309:

"We shall individually be held responsible for doing one jot less than we have ability to do...But when we give ourselves wholly to God, and in our work follow His directions, He makes Himself responsible for its accomplishment. He would not have us conjecture as to the success of our honest endeavors. Not once should we even think of failure. We are to cooperate with One who knows no failure."

I have seen this first-hand in my own life.

Anyway, to get on with my main point, what I meant to say was that I really saw this God-working-in-my-life thing big time last school year. And just like that, when I started Precalc Algebra two weeks ago, God started His miracle-working business for me again! Not like He ever stopped...but really being back to college now has brought back all the challenges that college brings. And it is just so incredible, and fun, and satisfying, and...comforting, really, to see God helping me in the same yet again. There have been days now that it seems that it's in the eleventh hour that I finally, barely, pull ahead and feel like my head is above water in regard to this class. But God helps me to understand the homework problems, or get help on them, and I get 100% on the assignment (our homework is submitted online; we get five tries to get every problem correct) right before the deadline.

Even though this is "just" a summer class, I truly do feel like I am back to college. All the joys, sorrows, stress, excitement and fun....it's back! And I love it! And with God, I know that I can not just survive, but thrive.

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One song that I have been listening a lot to lately is Casting Crown's Voice of Truth. It was just the other night when some of the lyrics' meaning really hit me for the first time--here, I'll share part of them with you:

"Oh what I would do to have /
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in /
onto the crashing waves.

To step out of my comfort zone /
to the realm of the unknown where Jesus is /
And He's holding out His hand"

The song continues--watch the whole thing here--but it was the above lyrics that really hit me. The singer is in the position of Peter, who asks Jesus if he, Peter, can please walk on the water just like Jesus is currently is. As the story goes, Jesus says "yes" and Peter does walk on the water until he takes his eyes off Jesus. Peter starts to drown, but Jesus is by his side in an instant and takes Peter back to the safety of the boat.

With the song, the singer is debating what thoughts might have been running through Peter's head. There's Peter's wish to walk on the water, and Jesus saying he can, but there's also the scary waves out there. Etc. etc.

Anyway, I was doing my homework late one night when the proverbial light bulb went on in my head and I had my revelation:

Jesus is in the unknown.

Peter is in the safety of the boat, in his comfort zone, but Jesus has called him into the realm of the unknown. And despite the waves (which in the song remind Peter of all the times that he's tried and failed), Jesus is holding out His hand. He's promising Peter that He will be with him, no matter the circumstances or surroundings.

I quickly made the connection from there. College is most definitely "the realm of the unknown"! There is so much new and potentially scary stuff at college. But at the same time, Jesus is in the unknown--figuratively speaking, at college. He is calling me to the unknown--to Southern--and reminding me of His promise to hold my hand, help me, and be with me the whole way.

Then, I have no reason to fear the waves of stress or tests or study or whatever may come in this realm of the unknown called college. Jesus has called me to another year at Southern, and "He's holding out his hand"!