This evening I found myself looking back at many of the old pictures that I've taken during my four years here at IWU. The final projects are starting to be completed, the final presentations are prepped and ready to go, and then there's silent moments where I catch myself going "wait...how did I get here?" I know it sounds cliche to say that time has passed so quickly, but it has! I mean, when I started college there were so many people, places, and experiences that I never dreamed would come into my path! My precious nieces weren't born, I didn't have these amazing IWU friendships that I now have, I didn't know what Arbonne was, I would have never dreamed that would've led me to the Bahamas, and never thought that God would bless my passion for L.A. and he went WAY beyond what I dreamed!
I have to admit that there were some expectations I thought God would bless, and one of those is again a cliche...I really thought God would send my prince charming to IWU, we'd meet, and I'd be engaged by now. I really really really thought that going into my freshman year, and TRUST me my poor friends had to suffer through many extremely painful moments where they knocked me in the head and said, "ALISHA! Your life is not a movie...this is reality!" It sounds harsh, but trust me...I deserved it FULLY! And this is isn't a post about how I'm angry, depressed, or look out every guy out there...Alisha hates you and is now Miss Independent! haha No...it's more of a realization that God knew what I needed before I asked for it. I needed to fall completely in love with my savior, and tonight, as I was passing memory lane...my heart is filled with so much joy because throughout my time here at IWU, I've fallen completely, madly, and hopelessly in love with my Savior! My eyes are fully of hope, life, and joy even when life isn't exactly like the movie playing in my head.
I've moved from a hopeless romantic to a sarcastic-if-you-want-the-key-to-my-heart-buy-me-coffee! haha Speaking of coffee...didn't like that at ALL when I started college...oh. how. things. change! This is just a little example of how life has a simplicity about it when your first love is Jesus, and for the first time I'm starting to see what true freedom looks like in Christ. I've said all this Christian jargon my entire life, but through all the experiences I've had these past 3 1/2 years...I've had to make a choice to say it or live it. Living out the foundations of Christ are not easy, not always pretty, but always hopeful. With Christ, my life's movie is full of purpose, meaning, and drive. He is that dominant force, which propels all the other actions that take place in my story.
My hope and prayer is that you too will be challenged to be faced with this choice to say the Christian jargon, or actually live it too because when you choose to love your Savior completely...life becomes a beautiful place with hope in places you never expected. I don't know what the future holds, but something tells me that it'll be an adventure that I'm so ready to embrace! So here's to all the people, places, and experiences that have past--and those to come...CHEERS!
Blessings!
Alisha Stevens
