Choose Worship Over Worry
Do you occasionally find yourself questioning God and asking Him “why”?
I certainly have in the past and I continue to struggle with fully trusting His plan for my life. In fact, I remember being on a plane headed towards New York, worrying about the next four years of my life at NYU. I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in, that I wouldn’t find friends, that I would be so homesick that I wouldn’t survive four months without my family, and most of all I was worried that I wouldn’t find other Christians on campus. I was terrified of being alone in my faith! Yet while I was needlessly worrying on that plane, God was already preparing my life in New York City.
I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t always easy, in fact, my first semester at NYU was one of the hardest seasons of my life, as I was trying to find a community and form meaningful friendships. However, I learned that my trials are never in vain and through this challenging time I grew closer to God more than ever before. God showed me that He was not only my protector and king, but was also my loving dad and best friend. He saw me in the shadows, cared for me, and became my greatest source of encouragement. God had a purpose for this specific trial and this “trial” didn’t last for four years. God’s timing is impeccable, and at the perfect time He led me to the Navigators. I signed up for a three day retreat which shaped the rest of my time at NYU. I found a community of believers who became my support system and my brothers and sisters in Christ. One of my favorite quotes up to this day is that we “suffer in isolation, yet heal in community”. I can’t stress enough how valuable and important it is for us to join a Christian community. There are so many wonderful Christian groups on campus and I would encourage anyone reading this to find one and get plugged in. :)
It wasn’t an accident that I found a Christian community, God intentionally placed those people into my life. He knew where I would fit in and He knew what I needed to grow spiritually!
Looking back on my four years, the most important truth that I learned is that God is incredibly faithful! He will never forsake His children and no matter how helpless a situation may seem, God will always have a way out of it. His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts and as the heavens are higher than the earth so our His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts ( Isaiah 55:8-9).
The one thing I wish I could do is go back in time and displace the countless hours I spent worrying with worship. Worrying is caused by a lack of trust in God and in doubting His unfailing love for us. I’m not perfect and I still struggle with trusting God with the uncertainties of my life. But I want to commit my life to trusting God with every area of my life and worshipping Him instead of worrying about all the “What-Ifs” in life.