Sophomore Season Update !!

Howdy!!!!

I figured there was no other way than to start the first blog post of sophomore year than in true Aggie spirit hehe.

Today marks a week since classes started here at Texas A&M for Breanna and I. It’s been a lot of fun so far, with many highs and a few lows as per usual.

Nevertheless, I decided to take a few moments out of my day to share what the Lord has laid on my heart since the semester started!

Psychology minor

First up- some fun news:

Due to some requirements for a scholarship we have, Bre and I needed more hours. Soooo, we decided to pick up a psychology minor!!! We both loved the psychology class we took last year and are really looking forward to taking more. In my opinion, psychology and nutrition complement each other well. I’m excited to be able to help people with the psychological part of health and wellness in my future career.

I listen to Sadie Robertson’s podcast called Whoa That’s Good a lot, and when we decided to add a minor, there was a line she said that I immediately thought of. However, I could not remember which episode I heard it in 🙄

I didn’t want to butcher her wording, so I took some time trying to find it. Luckily, I was successful so I can share it with y’all today!

Essentially, Sadie said she feels as though God put a box of secrets in our hearts when we were born and that, when things happen in God’s timing, it’s almost like we are catching up to something we have already known.

I LOVE this! It’s funny how some things just make sense. Bre and I have been interested in healthy eating and exercise since middle school; however, at the same we also sort of unknowingly developed an interest in psychology through our love for personal development and self-help content.

In fact, when we participated in the Agriscience fair through FFA in high school, we conducted a nutrition project in the social science division.

And here we are seemingly catching up to the plans God has for us using the interests He instilled in our hearts long ago.

putting the links here for anyone that wants to listen/watch to the podcast episode I referred to:

Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/episode/44O4qJav4bKIaMsrqiOM5P?si=WHHgT6lNTNiMblkSQ9z1Xw

YouTube- https://youtu.be/xivON-LGqaY

A Puzzling Perspective

Honestly, life is like a big puzzle.

And with each moment, experience, and season, God is handing us another piece of the puzzle.

There are times where we can’t see why He gives us certain pieces.

We’re so confused as to how this could possibly fit into the beautiful life we’ve envisioned for ourselves and the abundant one God promised.

But alas, sometime down the road the Lord hands us the connecting piece.

And the waiting, the pain, the struggle makes sense.

However, I don’t think we’ll ever get to see the final masterpiece.

No, that comes at a later time.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

1 Corinthians 12:13 (KJ)

Perhaps that’s why God consistently insists we adopt an eternal perspective.

Because what’s to come

~the puzzle in it’s entirety~

comes after this life.

So like any good puzzle doer, we must fight the good fight and remain steadfast amid affliction if we want to see the finished product- knowing that we can’t help but remain unfinished on this side of Heaven.

The God who began a good work within us will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Beauty from Ashes

to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
     Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) 

Life is inevitably an accumulation of highs and lows.

No amount of effort on our part can save us from experiencing nuisances, big or small, from time to time.

These can come in many different ways and forms, but, at the root, are the same issues.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV)

Disappointment can look like a failed career opportunity, low score on a test, or rejection in a relationship.

Insecurity could be the result of a lack of community, mean girls in school, or perfectionism.

Fear may stem from unchartered waters in the workplace, a health scare, or negative words.

Everyone deals with these things- just in different ways and in different seasons.

Recently, I was looking back through an old prayer journal from high school. In doing this, I realized that many of my prayers were strikingly similar to now only in a different context.

For instance,

Instead of praying about my performance on ACT, I’m praying about the GRE.

Instead of asking God to show me which college to attend, I’m praying about internship acceptances.

Etc, etc, etc,

In essence, I’m living in what I used to long for, yet I'm still asking for more ?!?!?!

Of course, I am. Because this world only offers superficial satisfaction- as we stress in probably every one of our blog posts.

Yet, I’m still preaching this to myself daily.

Having the “perfect” test scores, going to the “perfect” college, having the “perfect” body, or being in the “perfect” relationship will never be enough.

But serving the perfect God is.

Grace Abounds

Luckily, although Christians should actively be striving for sanctification (becoming more like Christ), we can find peace amidst the inevitability of our imperfections because they allow us to see more of His goodness and grace.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

In one of our nutrition classes, our first assignment was to take a video introducing ourselves and explaining why we declared nutrition as our major. I’d say over 80% of students in the course said they developed a passion for it after struggling with disordered eating themselves.

In fact, I think that's how a lot of careers start.

Let's take Taylor Swift for example !!!!! (Sorry she came to mind because she's dropping a new album on October 21st. MARK UR CALENDARS)

She probably wouldn’t have a career if she didn’t go through any heartbreak.

And you know why people love her so much? Because they can relate to her stories. Her music makes people seen.

There is power in empathy and lived experience. We become who we, ourselves, needed at our lowest.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

Serendipity

In biology, we talked about a concept called serendipity, which means "fortunate accidents” or “lucky surprises.”

It’s what happened when Alexander Flemming discovered penicillin.

Often described as a careless scientist, Fleming came back from a two-week vacation to find that a mold had formed on a plate he left out on his nightstand LOL.

“One sometimes finds, what one is not looking for. When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I suppose that was exactly what I did.”

Alexander Fleming

What society calls good luck is what Christians call God’s grace!  

A Secure Spot

This Sunday we tried out a new church! We had heard really good things about it, and some friends of ours go there, so we decided to give it a try. When we arrived, we found out we had two options- we could either go to college service or to the regular service. (The regular service had a lot of college kids too- the only difference is that the college service had discussion groups afterwards.)

Being the indecisive people we sometimes are, we spent a couple minutes in distress over which service we should attend. We knew our friends were in the regular service, but the college service seemed cool too.

Eventually, we decided to join our friends in the regular service.

When we walked in and found them, there were 2 seats at the end of the row saved specifically for us.

It was a cool reminder that, while we often spend so much time worrying, debating, and even asking others’ opinions on things, God is waiting for us to come to Him- where we always have a place.

Seek and You will find

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

In closing, I just wanted to remind you that God wants You to invite Him into your life. You can ask Him to help you navigate that stressful class, hectic workday, unhealthy relationship, and literally anything else.

My prayer so far this semester has been that I would see more of God, not just in spiritual settings, but also in the everyday mundane moments.

God is with you all the way! Through thick and thin, You can trust Him more than anyone or anything else.

I hope you all are doing well and working hard in whatever space God has called you to.

Remember that doing the best you can at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment!

with love,

bailee chavez.