Easter

Easter

By Haley B.

The day was here. It would be the day of whether I found out if I continued to live on campus at my college or move back home. I’m in my junior year of college and have never known anything about living at home while going to college and how to cope with it. I’ve only lived on campus during the school year. So while in nursing school, jumping into a new environment isn’t something one wants to do. I had found some good roommates after I had countless people let me down, minus my freshman roommate. I was excited about moving in to school with my new roommates this year. My roommate and I had classes previously and we were friends but have grown even closer through living with each other this year. But the day had come where I would find out what my fate was.

So to start off, I’ll take you back to a week ago. Housing applications were coming up and deadlines were approaching to keep your same place or to move somewhere else or any other decision you wanted to make. I thought my roommate would have come and talk to me about this by now considering I’m very forgetful with remembering things like this. But she didn’t. I finally brought it up this specific week. I actually brought it up in front of my suite mate as well since she would be back next year too. I got the answer that every person hates to here. It goes something like this, more or less: “We left you out. We didn’t even think about you or your plans so we went with our own.” Basically, I was left without a roommate since my roommate and my suite mate wanted single rooms. For one, no one even asked me what my plans were. If they had, I would’ve presented problem number two: I can’t afford it. A single room is $1,000 more than a double room. I’m already paying extra for nursing classes and I don’t have any loans. I’m very blessed, nonetheless, but I just can’t afford anything extra.

So I got the bad news. I just hoped for the best and that they wouldn’t be able to get a single room since I had a friend who said it would be impossible for them to get one because of how limited they were. I know that sounds bad but who wants to change their environment in such a difficult major that could ruin their study habits? Not me. And besides, I liked my roommates. I wanted to stay with them. But as always, The Lord had other plans.

So it was the day for them to sign up for a single room. And they got one. I wasted an hour longer at school, waiting for them, just in case we needed to go back to housing to see if we needed to sign up for our same place. But no. I wasted time and money. I put in a housing application that has a fee, which isn’t refundable.

You can imagine how I felt. I was heartbroken. So upset. So betrayed. These events happened to me in high school but never did I think they would happen to me in college. I felt so hurt. I couldn’t believe that someone I thought was my best friend didn’t really care about me or my plans for next year. I had never felt so betrayed by someone thought was a true friend.

Driving to my fiancé’s house on the same day, Jesus spoke to me. Not only did He tell me to write this article but He reminded me of the betrayal, heartbreak, and sadness He went through in His life here on Earth. He reminded me of the people who hated Him and didn’t follow Him to begin with, the people who betrayed Him, the people who denied Him, and even the ones who persecuted Him.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all speak of Judas’ betrayal to Jesus. Judas was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He was one of Jesus’ followers. He was Jesus’ friend. Jesus held these 12 very close to Him. They were His best friends. Yet, we read this story and think about how stupid Judas was for betraying Jesus. Judas was overcome by greed. If you’ve read the story, you already know the end.

Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 13 all tell of Judas’ betrayal toward Jesus. 4 books in the Bible speak of Judas’ betrayal. I’d say that’s pretty important. We feel so betrayed by our friends sometimes that we forget how bad Jesus had it. To be betrayed for your life is something we never have to experience.

In these same books and same chapters, just a little farther down, these accounts of Jesus’ death tell us that not only was He betrayed but that He was going to be denied 3 times by another disciple: Peter. Peter was the kind of friend who you think would never hurt you. They were there for you through the hard times and the good times. This friend had a lot to do with helping you through rough times to become a better person. Peter was this. Yet, Jesus predicts, and proves, that Peter denies him 3 times before a rooster crows. WOW. And we thought WE had it bad. No one denies us. I’ve never had an experience where someone denied my existence, at least to my knowledge.

Now, what does this all have to do with Easter?

Well, Jesus experience betrayal and heartbreak like we did and still do today. He still experiences it as well because we hurt Him every day by doing things He doesn’t like. But if He can overcome this betrayal and heartbreak from His best friends, can’t we overcome it too? I mean, He didn’t JUST overcome this hurt from His best friends. He overcame DEATH and the GRAVE. Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 15 & 16, Luke 23 & 24, and John 19 & 20 tells us how Jesus died and tells us about Him overcoming death. Everyone was against Him, yet He still died for us. He still forgave us and the people who betrayed Him. He still died for them. He still gave them hope.

Isn’t it wonderful when all of our life stories lead us back to the cross, like this? It truly reminds us of the Easter season that’s upon us and how, even though we’re hurt, Jesus overcame it, death, and the grave. It gives us the hope to continue on and to overcome our hurt. It gives us the greatest opportunity of all. These experiences point us toward Jesus and His greatness and His gift of hope, grace, love, and forgiveness that is for everyone.

How do you know if you’re being called to something?, By Haley B.

How do you know if you’re being called to something?

By Haley B.

I’m new to this whole “being called” thing. I really am. I’ll share a personal story and how I knew I was called to go to this thing called summer project.
I’m involved in a ministry on college campuses all over the world called Campus Crusade for Christ. Maybe some of you girls have even heard of it. Anyways, they have the opportunity to go on what’s called summer project. With Campus Crusade, or CRU for short, you can basically go anywhere in the world you want to, whether it be to East Asia and China or stay stateside in Charleston, SC. Literally, CRU can take you anywhere you want to go.
Well, during the CRU meetings at school in the spring, they would always talk to us about summer project, or project for short. They were always encouraging people to just apply to go to it. Yes, you have to apply… it’s a HUGE and LONG process. I didn’t go to many CRU meetings in the spring because my mom became very sick and got the flesh eating virus and was in the hospital for nine weeks.
She had just gotten out and it was about mid-March when I was finally brave enough to go back and face my friends whom I was so scared to tell about what had happened to my mom. The staff on CRU obviously talked about project but something about it was different that night. We usually go to Krispy Kreme afterwards (in case some of y’all don’t know what KK’s is, it’s this delicious donut place…like Tim Horton’s in Canada) but this week, I didn’t go.
As I walked back to my dorm room, I felt this burden on my heart like a push to do something. I didn’t know what it was quite yet but I knew something wasn’t right. I walked into my dorm room and immediately got on my computer. I don’t know why but the first thing I typed in was gosummerproject.com. I had heard about project before but this night touched me like nothing else ever had. I knew that God was calling me to apply to project and to trust Him in what He was going to do in my life, no matter what I had just been through.
Long story short, I got accepted, I went to Daytona Beach for two weeks, and my life was forever changed there all because of a little tug on my heart.
I knew that if I hadn’t answered that calling to apply to project that my life would still be the same as it was before and I would still be stuck in the horrible situations I was in.
I knew it was God calling me to apply because it was something I had never experienced before. I had never experienced a tugging at my heart so great and so urgent. There were no voices telling me anything but just a heavy burden on my heart that I had come to the right night at CRU and that I needed to apply.
I wish I could tell you that there will be voices and shouting and you’ll know exactly what you’re supposed to do but there aren’t. I’m pretty sure it’s different for every single person. I do know this: if you are unsure about where God is leading you, don’t even hesitate to PRAY ABOUT IT! God will answer you in His timing, not yours! Praying about it definitely helps you feel better about it and maybe it will be the time when God wants you to know what path He wants to take you down!