new beginnings.

God's been so good to me over the past few weeks.
Blessing me with a joyful spirit even in the harder times. And it's made me start thinking.

Why has it shocked me so much to find that I can persevere and push into God through difficulties? In fact, I've found that in doing this, it has blessed me more so than digging deeper with Him through every day stuff.

For those of you who don't know (I presume most of you do), I moved to Manchester for university precisely three weeks ago this very day (I've just acquired internet this evening, hence why I'm. And it's been quite the rollercoaster.

Everybody I've met has been amazing, and I've made some brilliant friends already. I live with pretty incredible people. My church has been so welcoming and easy to feel a valued part of. The course I'm doing is great. I've settled in really well. Yet there's been a good few times when I've felt so uncomfortable in myself that I can't stand to be around anybody. Just as though, no matter what, I won't be accepted, or fit in. And it's stupid. Because I know that I've been accepted already by these people, yet the place the devil chooses to attack me is right there, where it used to trouble me so much, before God gave me the beautiful revelation of who I am IN HIM. Not in my relationship with anyone else. And it's that which I keep getting brought back to every time I feel like this.

I had expected to be changed SO much during my time at King's, yet when I finished, although people kept re-assuring me that I had, I didn't feel so different at all really.
But now I've realised... What had changed was more internal than external at that point. It was a process that hadn't finished... well, actually, had barely started. And it's taken me being brought out of the bible college 'bubble' for the work that God did to my thoughts, attitudes and character to be truly worked out.

And if uni has done anything to me already, bringing me out of the bubble is definitely it.

Recently I've had a real fire for prayer. For my christian friends, for my family, for my non-christian friends, and for the many new people I'm meeting now. And I continue to be amazed by just how much God has blessed me through it! In my first week (yep - Fresher's!), I had sooo many 'deep' conversations about my beliefs and my relationship with God it's crazy. Probably almost as many as I've ever had in my whole entire life before. And I know it's only 'conversations', but if we don't open our mouths, how are they supposed to hear the news that has changed our lives?

"What did you do for your gap year?" is such a great place to start. And I've found that most of the people I meet have taken them. Treasure chest.

Everybody's searching. So let's keep praying.