FIRST YEAR OF UNI: A Reflection

Here's a short blog post that I wrote a couple of weeks ago before I left my university halls room. It has been lying in my drafts for a while and I thought I might as well share it instead of it just lying there and festering!


I write this blog post sitting on a wheely chair without any actual wheels, in a very bare university halls room snuggled in a fluffy blanket. I also write it with my first year of university behind me, my exams, my coursework and presentations all complete with nothing but the summer to look forward to.

This year has brought joy, laughter, loneliness, tears, patience and a genuine love and thankfulness for the life that the Lord has given me. This year has taught me a lot about myself and who I am becoming and has strengthened my identity in Jesus. Each day I am learning just what it is to walk with Him in trials and in joyful times. I have learnt to lean on Him when I find myself in despair and to go deeper into an intimate relationship with Him. He has blessed me with wonderful friends that I have met at university and that I will keep for years to come. He has strengthened me to literally be that independent woman that don't need no other man but Jesus (and a strong independant man if He blesses me with one in the future). I have learnt how each day that He blesses me with is a choice for who I stand for. Some days I may not get it right, in fact some days I may get it very very dreadfully wrong but each day, I know that He's with me all along.

This year I've been pushed out of my comfort zone. Time and time again. Things that I never thought I would be able to do before, I did in His strength.
This year has taught me patience and the power of waiting on the Lord and trusting His perfect timing.
This year has made me experience miracles and intimate times with the Lord, talking to Him and telling Him everything, laying it out before Him and giving Him praise in the rain.
This year has given me new revelation of His power and His might and His will for my life.
This year has taught me the power of prayer and how eager He is to show His glory through His people.
It has also taught me to "speak even if your voice shakes".

This year has also taught me what not to do:

It's taught me not to worry.
It's taught me not to be anxious.
It's taught me not to shy away from opportunities.
It's taught me not to judge but to love.
It's taught me not to compare my journey to others.
It's taught me not to buy a cheap frying pan that spends more time burning things then it does cooking things. I must invest in a good frying pan next year.
It's taught me not to accumulate so much stuff. My dad told me that I had collected more things in just under a year than he has his whole life. *cough* HOARDER *cough*
It's taught me not to buy so much food in a weekly shop because I'm guaranteed to not eat it all by the time their best before date rolls around.
Buy small loaves of bread.
Don't leave your broken shower broken. Tell the maintenance people to fix it. A.S.A.P Showering in the dark is not ideal.
Try not go into your overdraft unless you can't help it. I know it feels like free money but you will be stuck in it for the whole year like I was and it will be a bummer trying to earn back money that you don't even have with that summer job.
Lastly, it's taught me to never doubt myself. I'm quickly learning that I underestimate myself way too much and that if I even had a quarter of belief in myself it would get me further in life than the latter. And if you ever doubt whether or not you are able to handle going to university keep your focus on what an amazing addition you can be to that place and that your intelligence isn't reliant on a grade, put your passion first and work on your weaknesses, sometimes you can really surprise yourself.

All my love,
God bless,
Rozzie
xoxo