Hahaha! ME TOO!
Seriously, the semester is coming down to the last couple weeks, and I gotta tell you, sometimes I walk into a practice room, sit down, play a scale, and then I'm just done. Sometimes I pull out my computer to work on Stats homework, or Music homework, and just look at my screen with a blank stare because I'm so overloaded with stuff running through my mind....then I eventually snap out of it and get some work done...eventually... With all that being said, the past couple of weeks haven't been without their inspiration moments that made me stop, think, and be grateful for where I am and how far God has brought me. So before I share a few stories from a few weeks ago (Yep they all happened in one week.), let me just give a little background. I go to a secular university. A place where no one really seems to care about Jesus. A place that disrespects the name of my God. A place where there really isn't much true joy...the Joy that only the Lord can give. I am constantly surrounded by classmates who use profanity as a part of their every day speech, are very open about their way of living that complete contradicts the Bible, and people who just don't care. It is really easy to feel alone, like you are they only one on the whole campus of 36,000 people who loves Jesus. So, with all that background, let me back up to a couple of weeks ago. I was walking out of one of my classes that, providentially, was let out early. I ran into a girl that I had seen and said 'hi' to before but we hadn't ever really had a long conversation and I pretty much knew nothing about her. We were walking in the same direction so we started talking. She mentioned that she needed coffee. I, seeing an opportunity to get to know her better, and being a lover of coffee myself, asked her if she'd like to go get coffee with me at the Starbucks on campus. Her face lit up and she said that she had been wanting to get coffee with me and talk to me for a while. (I know right?!??!) Who knew?? Oh yeah, that's right. God knew. We proceeded to make our way to Starbucks. On our way there I discovered that she is also a lover of Jesus. After we got our coffee we ended up talking for the next hour. Let me just say, it was mutually beneficial. We got to share what God was doing in our lives and what He was teaching us, and it was just SO encouraging, and spiritually enriching and inspiring. Now, a few weeks later, she is one of my best friends at school now. So now, lets jump to the very next day. I had a concert that I had to play for and we had a ridiculously early morning stage call. As I recall it was like a 7:45am stage call for a quick rehearsal before the actual event. That morning was the first actually cold morning of the season and I was not exactly in the greatest mood about having to be out in the freezing cold so early in the morning. (Also a side note on this performance. I was roped into it without really being given an option which also kind of annoyed me. So basically my attitude about the whole thing left much to be desired.) So, I got there for the rehearsal, ran over my part just one time and then was told that we were to go sit behind the stage for an hour until the event started and that we weren't allowed to leave. (In other words, I couldn't go get breakfast or coffee or anything.) With a grumbling spirit I went and sat down back stage to wait. The next thing I know one of my colleagues (Actually, the one who roped me into this event in the first place.) came and sat down next to me and struck up a conversation. As typical of our past conversations, this conversation went really deep and analytical really quickly. It turns out that my colleague was actually working on a project and decided that this hour with nothing to do would be the perfect opportunity to interview me for the project. One of the question that was then asked of me got me thinking. The question was "What makes you worth something, and what is your purpose for living?" WOW. Talk about a deep question, and also an open door to share what God has done in my life. My mind went swirling in a million different directions. I wasn't 100% sure how I was going to answer and then I realized what an open door it was to share part of my testimony with this lost friend and colleague of mine. I was able to share quite a bit and at the end of it my colleague stated that I had given him a lot to think about. As we were walking on stage for the event to start, the Lord started to rebuke me for my awful attitude about being there as early as I had to be there. He gently pointed out to me that if I hadn't been there I wouldn't have had the opportunity to share my testimony with someone who seems to be searching for answers. Adding to that, He reminded me that He has all my days planned out and He has me just where He wants me at all times, even if I don't understand why. I left the event that afternoon feeling encouraged and grateful that God would be willing to give me such an opportunity despite my stinky attitude. Fast forward to that evening. I went to an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Concert. This is something that I've done several times in my lifetime. However, I think being in school and being a music major made me appreciate it 10x more than I usually do. This concert was probably one of the best, if not the best one I'd ever attended. The concert was featuring solo violinist Ray Chen, who, by the way, is now my favorite violinist. He did an amazing job. I was blown away. So, that took care of the musical inspiration I needed for that week and it doesn't end there. That weekend, I got a text from my former violin teacher offering me a comp ticket to her GSO concert. It fit right into my schedule so I went. They ended up playing/singing selections from Haydn's Creation. Now, if you've ever listened to the piece you know that, when it is played well, it paints a picture of what the beginning of time must have been like. Honestly listening to the GSO play it was the first time I had actually been transported in my imagination to the most beautiful, relaxing, tranquil, and untouched place on earth. To put it plainly, it was like watching God paint a picture before my very eyes. As the music swelled the picture of God's glory, through creation, became brighter and more grand than anything I'd ever seen before. I totally understand that some of you might be thinking that I'm totally crazy but seriously, just go look up 'Haydn's Creation" and listen to the whole thing with your eyes closed. It's beautiful. So I entered that week in desperate need of inspiration and confirmation from the Lord that I was where I needed to be. My God gave me way more than I asked for. So if you're needing inspiration, just ask God for it. He'll give it to you! Hope everyone is having a great week so far! And to all you college students that are trying to get things done before Thanksgiving break and also trying to get a jump start on studying for finals, I know where you're at, and I'm there too. We're all so close to the end of the semester!! With that being said, we all need to take some time next week to put all the school stuff aside and spend time appreciating family and be thankful for where God has us at this very moment. Blessings to all and H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G ! ! !
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About Me
Hi! My name is Bethany. I'm so glad you've stopped in at my little corner of the internet! By way of introduction, I am a wife, musician, teacher, coffee lover, baker, nature lover, writer, and most importantly, I am a follower of Jesus. I'm super thankful that the Lord has given me this little outlet to share some of the things He has taught me, things that have inspired me, changed me or just gotten me excited about living life. My prayer is that what you read and see here will be an encouragement to your heart, bring you joy, and maybe even inspire you! Archives
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