His Plan is Greater

Picture this: 18-year-old Steph waltzing into college, looking like someone who had it together…at least as together as a freshman really could be. I was that overly confident, slightly irritating girl that already had her life planned out day one of college. The plan went something like this: I was going to ace my first semester and every consecutive semester and graduate from TCU with a 4.0 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. I was going to land a great job way before graduation and be a part of the small percentage of ladies who met their husband at TCU, and get married a week after graduation at the age of 22. If you know me very well or have followed me for a while, you’re probably laughing by now because the only one of those things that is happening is I am graduating in May. You know why? Because those were MY plans, not God’s plans for my life. Let me break it down for you.

In just a few short weeks, I will be graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (no 4.0…sorry dad). I have wanted to be a teacher my entire life and for some dumb reason when it came time to pick a college major, I decided to ignore the passion God had instilled in me and the gifts He had given me. I told myself I would get over my aversion to blood (nope) and learn to love nursing. Luckily, God put an end to that real quick. He was like, “nah fam,” and steered me back to the path He wanted me on. Through some trials, soul searching, and real “come to Jesus moments,” I realized six weeks into college I needed to change my major to Early Childhood Education and haven’t looked back since. Special shout-out to my Freshman RA, amazing friends, and the support system I had at home for being there through those rough first weeks and helping me to understand that it really was okay to change my major.

Once I was officially an Education Major, I created a new plan for myself. I was going to do TCU’s Accelerated Masters Program and finish Undergrad and Grad in five years. That sounded like a great idea until my spring semester of my junior year. When it came time to submit applications for the Accelerated Masters Program, I realized it just wasn’t for me. Honestly, the reason I wanted to spend an extra year at TCU was because the thought of the real world terrified me. Through some more soul searching and a lot of prayers, God showed me that I really would be ready to tackle the real world after spending just four years at TCU instead of five. Now that student teaching is coming to a close, I am so ready to have my own classroom and change the lives of children each and every day. I was further affirmed in this decision just this week as I had my final observation and my supervisor wrote on my form that I was “a natural born teacher and would be an asset to any school.” That right there pretty much erased any doubts I had because she taught for over 30 years and knows what makes a great teacher.

As for the getting married a week after graduation…spoiler alert: it’s not happening. I’m just not ready and not only is God preparing me for my future spouse, He is preparing my spouse for me. This is something I have to remind myself every time I see another post on social media of friends/acquaintances my age and a little older getting engaged or married.

I’m not going to lie…since I am such a planner and love to know exactly what is happening next (as you know from previous posts), this season of uncertainty as I wait for interviews and am in the middle of the hiring process for a full-time teaching position in the fall is challenging. As friends and acquaintances from other fields of study land jobs, I struggle a little bit with the comparison game. I texted one of my sweet friends about how I was down and stressed about it all and she said something so simple, yet so profound, “Remember that God has His OWN plan for you. Don’t compare your story to someone else’s.” She is so right! God DOES have His OWN plan for me and it is far greater than anything I could have dreamed of for myself.

I am so glad God “wrecked my plans” and put a halt to me majoring in Nursing because that is just not where I belong. Teaching and inspiring lifelong learners is what He has called me to do. I just need to trust in His plan and know that at the end of the day, I will be wherever He wants me to be. So, if you are in a season of waiting or your plans have changed, do not fear. God has the best plan imaginable for your life, just like He does mine.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

Remember: HIS PLAN IS GREATER!

Have a great rest of your week!

Yours Truly,

Steph