Change & Growth

Howdy friends :)

Welcome back to the blog. As I thought about what to write about this week, I honestly had trouble pinpointing one thing. However, I've been seeing several butterflies this week, and now I'm sure of what the Lord wants me to write about. How exciting :) Isn't it lovely when the Lord answers your prayers?

Today I want to talk about growth and change. This may sound fun in theory, but actually going through it is not always fun. Bailee started this blog about 2 years ago. Right after she created the site, she tried out for a position that we were both hoping she would succeed in: she wanted to be a Texas FFA State officer. If you’re familiar with the FFA and/or have been to a Texas FFA State Convention, you probably understand why someone would want to be a Texas FFA State Officer. From the outside looking in, it looks like a dream. You get to travel around the state of Texas promoting the FFA and agricultural industry, make new friends all across the state and nation, and you’re basically “famous” throughout the duration of your year of service. Not only that, but at the end of your year of service, you get to be the star of the Texas FFA State Convention, where your name and face is displayed on a huge screen in front of 15,000 people who are screaming for you even if they don’t know you personally. Sounds pretty fun, right? Depending on your personality type, maybe this doesn’t sound appealing to you. Honestly, I wasn’t too sure about it myself, so I was happy that Bailee wanted to try out rather than me.

Unfortunately, Bailee didn’t obtain the position. Even though I wasn’t the one trying out, this experience impacted me a lot, and when I think back to this particular state convention and the many state conventions I had attended before that, I have learned so much! Here are the top 3 lessons that come to mind when reflecting on my time in the FFA.

1. No matter where life takes you, there will be both mountain-top and valley experiences.

Honestly, leading up to the state convention the year that Bailee tried out for state office, I was very conflicted. Although I wanted Bailee to achieve her goal, I was also terrified of having to go into my first year of college on my own while she was traveling. The thought of not having my sister around 24/7 led me to experience an identity crisis of sorts. If FFA was going to be her thing, then what would be my thing?

The night after Bailee found out she wouldn't be on the team, I had a full on crying session in our hotel room. In fact, when Bailee opened the letter with the results, I started crying before she did. Clearly, I’m a little bit more emotional than her hehe. Additionally, even though I was relieved to have my sister by my side freshman year, I was sad that the nominating committee didn’t see what I saw in her. Read more on this in the following blog after you finish this one :)

https://baileenchavez.wixsite.com/happiesthere/post/the-woman-across-the-room

As you can see, I would’ve been upset whether she had made the team or not. Both came at a cost, and both had their pros and cons. I already listed some pros of being a state officer, but there are also some cons. Juggling school work and getting adjusted to college while being a state officer would have been extremely difficult, not to mention the chaos of navigating traffic in busy cities like Austin and Dallas. On the other hand, our college experience without Bailee being a state officer wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies either. We had difficult exams, struggles with balance, and much more.

Moral of the story, no matter your life circumstance, there will always be both positive and

negative aspects of it. That’s just the way the world works. Whether you’re married or single, attend a community college or a 4-year university, live alone or with roommates; you’ll always be tempted to think the grass is greener somewhere else. But it’s not. It’s greener where you water it. If you are in a situation you’d rather not be in, I challenge you to make the most of it. Whether it’s living in your hometown, doing schoolwork when you’d rather not, going to work, etc., I hope you’ll set your mind on finding beauty in the mundane. The truth is that life is full of mundane moments. They are never going away, but if you can master the art of being content in every circumstance, then you are setting yourself up for a very joyous time here on this earth. You don't NEED a leadership position, a certain city, a particular job, a spouse, etc. to accomplish God's will. Of course, these things are gifts, but it's not wise to put your hope in anything other than God.

2. We were never meant to put our identity in our work or achievements.

When I look back at my eighth grade self who zipped up my FFA jacket for the first time, I have so much compassion for her. I had big goals but didn’t have the confidence to believe I could actually achieve those goals. I was shy, quiet, tiny, and quite frankly only cared about success. I saw the older FFA members and felt insecure. Even winning state and national titles didn’t give me a sense of confidence because there was always something else. Not even graduating at the top of my class and receiving a full-ride scholarship made my life perfect. Clearly, this pattern of winning something and then feeling discouraged because there is always something more is exhausting. Luckily, I’ve since found a concept that has helped me immensely: making the most of each day. Rather than focusing so intently on a big goal with the false hope that it will give me peace, I have been trying to make daily choices that bring me joy and lead me towards the life I want to live. God made us with the desire to work and achieve; however, we were never meant to put our identity in our work.

While waiting to receive my Star American award this week at the Texas FFA State Convention, I got to hear two speeches that were honestly exactly what I needed the hear. The first was about being proud of yourself, even if you don't win. The second was about the value of living a simple life and not being ashamed of it. God had used the concepts discussed in those speeches to teach younger me to put her worth in her Savior over grades and extracurriculars.

Yes, it is so fun to work hard and accomplish your goals. But it’s the people you meet and the experiences you have along the way that add value to your life, regardless of whether you win or lose a contest.

3. One day you'll look back and smile at how different you are compared to when you first began.

As I was preparing to attend the Texas FFA State Convention, I pulled up the award letter, which detailed what time I was supposed to get there, where I was supposed to sit, etc. As I read the letter, I realized a small scholarship was attached to the award I was receiving.

I was pleasantly surprised because I had genuinely forgotten about the scholarship. In high school, my main motivation for striving and working so hard was to put myself in the position to earn as many scholarships as possible. Conversely, when applying to be the Star American in Agriscience this past year, my reason for applying was more focused on the experience it would bring and the people I could hopefully inspire along the way. I knew I would need something to look forward to during the summer, and filling out the application was a nice challenge for me to tackle and keep myself busy over Christmas break. Applying also meant I would have an excuse to attend my chapter's FFA banquet, not only to cheer on my friends who are still in FFA but also to come back and inspire those younger than me to not let their drive for success die at high school graduation. C.S. Lewis once said, "you are never too old set another goal or dream a new dream." To clarify, I am not encouraging you to make success an idol in your life or to let it define you; rather, I am encouraging you to use success and goal-setting as a way to add joy, beauty, and a sense of accomplishment to your life and others. Applying for the Star American in Agriscience award allowed me to attend state convention, spend quality time with my family, see familiar faces, meet new people, reconnect with my home FFA chapter, and leave the convention hall with a sense joy. I even got to tell one person I met about the Terry Foundation Scholarship. When you go into situations with a focus on others (what you can learn from them, what they can learn from you, how you can bless them), you leave feeling so fulfilled.

Closing Thoughts

Change is a part of life that is never going away. Seasons change, people grow older, and circumstances shift. It's not always fun, but without change, nothing new would be birthed in your life. I don't know about you, but if I was the same person I was in high school or even my freshman year of college, I wouldn't be where I am now. So embrace the change, and hold onto God, whom never changes. He'll carry you through.

Love your friend,

Breanna Chavez