Ring by Spring?

           My heart has been swept away into a single girl epidemic. You want to know what that epidemic is? Having a boyfriend. I have come to realize that this “dilemma” becomes intensified the first day you step onto a college campus. You meet new guys (oddly enough looking for girlfriends) and new girls who have boyfriends or who are desperately looking for one. I know, I know, you probably are already making assumptions about what kind of blog post this is going to be. You may think that I am going to talk about how terrible it is to be single or how I am going to rule dating out completely. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but it is going to be neither of those options.

           

           Every girl dreams about being swept off her feet by the perfect boy. And yes, I am guilty of this. And I don’t think it’s necessarily bad to dream about meeting a guy who respects and loves you for you. But I do think it’s bad to idolize the boy or the idea of it.  I bring this up because coming to college I have constantly heard from people, “You could meet your husband in college,”or “Think, you could be married in a couple years,”or the worse "Ring by Spring!" Wow, talk about pressure.  So hearing this more often than usual started to take an effect on me. To be honest, I began thinking about relationships so much I started to forget about the most important one of all. But it wasn’t to long until I was reminded of it.

So, I decided to a quiet time the other day, and before I started I prayed that the Lord would reveal to my heart the right perspective on boyfriends. And so I began to read in Isaiah, and lets just say sometimes I underestimate the Holy Spirit’s willingness to speak. I came across verse 54:5 that read:

For your maker is your husband—

The Lord almighty is his name—

The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.

I don’t think it can get simpler than that. God is my Husband and I am blessed to be His wife forever. So what more could I want? I mean, what if some boy put together a book full of promises about how much they loved me, wouldn’t that mean something? Well, God has already done that; it’s the Bible! Just reading a chapter about Jesus Christ’s resurrection in Matthew is enough evidence that I’m so intimately and passionately pursued. There is no need for me to worry about if I have or need a boyfriend. All I need is complete faith and satisfaction in the love of my Redeemer.

So let me reintroduce myself. Hello, I’m Karlie Tipton and I am perfectly content in being the bride of Christ. I am not ruling out the boyfriend idea nor am I idolizing it; I am just waiting on God’s timing.

Thanks for reading!

Karlie

Oh, college.

           College.  I have come to learn that one word can mean many different things to people. It could mean music, academics, arts, first loves, crazy parties, goofy mascot costumes, intense competitive sports teams, lifelong friends, etc.  But what does college mean to me? Well I can tell you, that one word has kind of consumed my life lately and given me stress beyond all measure. And at this moment I just woke up from a nap because I studied until 2 A.M. the night before for my New Testament class not because I procrastinated but I just haven’t learned the secret to time management yet. SO what does college mean to me? Well I think anybody can assume I haven’t really reached that conclusion yet but I thought that a good blog post about it might help remind me why I should be here.

            Truth be told, this transition is so difficult. I feel like I am balancing so many different things at once.  I have to think about school, the friends I am making, what activities I am getting involved in, and many other things. But what the hardest part has been is embracing the new and letting go of the familiar.  I am person who likes to have a set structure and going to college has made every aspect of my life different.  The fear of failing in one area has terrified me and my default is to worry excessively. I want to succeed in all I do but sometimes I over analyze the situation to where it makes the experience not enjoyable. All of these things were starting to eat at me. When I first got to college I did not go to God with these constant fears and stresses in my heart, I just took them upon my own soldiers hoping for the best.  But then I started to realize, my worries and stresses are nothing compared to how big God is, plus they are just weighing me down. So why am I trying to put them as idols in my life?

I have been trying to remember lately that God will show me what is the right major, give me the right friends I need, and guide my path to where it’s the most glorifying to him. But I need to remind myself before He can do any of those things there is one thing I need to do; I need to let go.  Have you ever just let everything go before and have complete trust in Him? I have heard that God always seems to find a way to show His sons and daughters that there is freedom in His name once you let go of the strongholds in your life. I am in the process of letting go of worry and stress and it is a scary feeling. But ironically enough I am simultaneously inheriting peace and comfort from God.  It’s starting to become clear that even if I do fail, the Holy Spirit can give me the strength to get back up, become stronger, and keep going.

I know I am here because of God. I know am here to become a better woman of Christ. I know am here to educate myself. I know am here to minister and be ministered too. And I know I am here to grow. (Also have a little fun on the side!) So I need to stop worrying, work hard, and let the Good Sheppard lead me. A week ago if you would have asked me what college meant to me I would have said “stress” but after going to God it seems like so many new doors have been opened to the meaning of college for me. I think letting go will let the adventure of college just happen. And If I simply do this one task I am sure college is going to become a word I think fondly of at the end of the whole experience.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Phillipians 4:6

Thanks for reading!

Karlie

Who Do I Want To Be?

          Who do I want to be? That is basically what people are wondering when they ask what major I have selected. I’m 18. How am I really supposed to know what career I want to pursue? But in spite of this, in full confidence I selected nursing as my major. I took an interest in nursing ever since my cousin from California told me during my 9^th grade summer that nursing is in high demand and would guarantee me a job. But I am graduated, in fact college is only 4 days away now, and I am starting to question my motive behind choosing nursing as my major. Have I chosen it out of security or out of genuine interest? In a way, I feel like I am experiencing a mid-life crisis except for I haven’t even come close to my mid-life and I have a lot time to change the path I take. So I guess what I am really getting at is, I have been doubting who I am and what I want to do lately. And I am sure that is natural at this time in life, but I still really don’t know if I am putting enough trust in God’s security and plan instead of my own.            

            When searching for colleges my senior year I looked at schools that had nursing, because I was sure that was what I wanted to do.  I eventually decided on Oklahoma Baptist University, which has a fantastic nursing program and is a great college of liberal arts. I am 100% positive that I have selected the right school, especially since it will encourage me in my walk with God, but I am questioning if I am going to fulfill what I need to be fulfilling there.  So you might ask what sparked this self-doubt? Well it’s kind of ironic; it started from taking up a volunteer position at a local pediatric hospital this summer. When I applied for the job I was expecting to get some on the scene nursing experience but, the volunteer coordinator asked if I would help at the greeting desk instead. I would be making sure that people have visitor’s badges and also checking children in for their appointments. So at first, I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea but I was reminded that any position I take could honor God it just depends on the outlook I have, so I gladly agreed.  The first day of work, I realized that during my shifts I had a lot of free time and that I could do something more productive than staring at a wall. So I took on the challenge of reading as many books as I could before the summer ended and I ended up reading ten books I also decided that the books I would read would be influential Christian books. The list is:

• So Long Insecurity By: Beth Moore
• Heaven Is For Real By: Todd Burpo
• Because He Loves Me By: Elyse Fitzpatrick
• Sacred Marriage By: Gary Thomas
• Radical By: David Platt
• Screw Tape Letters By: C.S. Lewis
• Prodigal God By: Tim Keller
• Million Miles In a Thousand Years By: Donald Miller
• Blue Like Jazz By: Donald Miller
• Father Fiction By: Donald Miller

Within these hundreds of pages I read I began to realize the love for reading and writing that I deeply had.  I also sparked my love for writing this summer since I decided to take advice from a friend to write about my life since it would be encouraging for others to read. I started to write about some influential instances in my life that have molded me to become who I am in Christ and have about 6 different stories I have worked on this summer. It has helped release things I wanted to release and focus on things that I needed to  focus on. I have enjoyed it and it has also been very therapeutic for me. So the reason why I say the situation is ironic is because I went into this volunteer position hoping to find a greater love for nursing but I ended up finding a greater love for literature and writing; something completely opposite. So it made me question what I really wanted to do nursing for. I never was that interested in my biology classes but I always found an interest in reading, writing, and history classes. The reason I mention my interest in history classes is for the reason that history is pretty much a huge story and I love stories. I just get a kick out of listening to elders talk about events in their past.  And not to brag but I think I am pretty good storyteller myself.  So what would make me not want to write?

I mean you go to college to pursue something your interested in not to pursue something that will make you just feel safe. But I haven’t totally written the whole nursing idea off. (Pun intended) Nursing would be a great profession for me since I am planning on getting a minor in missions and doing some long-term over seas work.  I think even in the United States it would be a great career opportunity to minister and help people.  That’s what makes this whole thing conflicting. So I have decided to keep an open mind about the whole ordeal and think about it as an adventure. Also thinking about how I would choose nursing as a career for security has reminded me that I need to trust in God for comfort instead of trying to resort to what the world says will give me comfort. My pastor just spoke about that this past Sunday. He said that we are so quick to settle for the cheap substitute of joy the world offers instead of accepting the free real joy that Christ has to bring.  

So this now leads me to tell you why I am starting this blog. I am writing this blog in efforts to see if writing is something I really enjoy and something I can honor God while doing. I named it “Living in Timely Writing” because I always think of God as my Author (along with Father, Friend, Alpha O Mega) that is writing my story and intricately placing the words in the right places. So I looked up the exact definition of timely on Dictionary.com and it said:

“time·ly/ˈtīmlē/Adjective: Done or occurring at a favorable or useful time”

And I believe that God has me here on this earth on His “favorable or useful ” timing, I just have to trust in Him and be the best I can be. So I am going to step into college willing to accept the whole experience as a journey. I don’t need to have everything planned out. I mean I never really have to have anything in my life planned out; I just need faith.  So in the midst of my sporadic college melt downs, nervousness, and excitement I will trust in God for He is good and I know He will make college a learning experience I will never forget. And as for my major I will just have to see what interests me the most!

Thanks for Reading!

Karlie