“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9

Its hard to believe that in a week I will no longer be a high school student. I won't be a senior; I won't have to wake up at 6:50 in the morning. I will no longer be a student of Myrtle Beach High School, I will be an alumni. I will be one more step closer to my goal of changing the world and saving lives.

But how did I get to this point???

I have loving parents and step-parents who support me in everything and anything I do. They've raised me to be a believer and lover of Christ. They've taught me that no matter where I go in life, I will have their love and the love of Christ with me. They've had a stern hand when it came to grades and extracurriculars, but I wouldn't have the determination that I have without them. They've given me responsibility and sometimes I've let them down. They're my best friends and I love them so much.

I have a great church family, as well. They've taught me to laugh at the little things. They have brought a smile on my face every time that I am with them. They are the family that God didn't give me as blood, but gave to me as friends. They've helped me along my faith journey and I don't know how strong my faith would be without them. They have been my rock for the past three years, and I am grateful for them everyday.

I have great friends. They listen to my problems and give me great advice. They are the first to sense something is the matter, and they MAKE me talk. They know when I need a good laugh, and they never make me feel bad about eating something because more than likely they are eating the same thing and the same portion. They give me huge hugs and cry with me when I cry. They understand that there isn't something always to be said, and they're ok with that. They send random "I love you"s and make me smile when they're doped up on mouth numbing medicine. Without them I would be totally lost.

There are so many other people that have helped me get to this point. There are some awesome teachers at Myrtle Beach High School, i.e. Andrea Sulewski, Jonathon Daft, Lisa Cribb and Ronald Wiltrout. They've taught me everything I know and when I look back on it they've given me great life lessons. Without them, I wouldn't have the knowledge I have now.

Thank Goodness...

I have to give all glory to God at this point in my life. I haven't been giving Him any praise lately. I have been so concerned in my own problems, that I have kind of forgotten that through His grace, I've made it this far. And through His mercy I can make it tomorrow and through the next steps of my life. I have been so concerned with minor things, things that in the grand scheme of things are trivial and will be worked out. All glory and honor is given to The Lord!!! 

Reiteration

Just another thank you to everyone who has gotten me this far and continues to push me farther. I don't think that I would have made it this far without your love and support!!!

XOXO,

Katy

Every Good Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

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I complain about school a lot. If given the choice between going to school and staying home, I would choose to stay home. I hate school. High school was not made with me in mind. I haven't had the ideal high school experience. I have felt like an outcast because I don't attend parties and I don't do illegal things. I stay at home most nights (when there aren't school sports going on) and watch tv or do homework. I'll watch old movies or just go to sleep. 

But, there was something on the news today that struck me hard. 
When did I become such a spoiled brat?

• If you woke up this morning healthy--you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the fear of and loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pain of starvation--you are better off than 500 million people in the world.

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are more comfortable than 75% of the people in this world.

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace--you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

• If you can read this, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who can't read at all.

Yet here I am complaining about having to get up in the morning!

Recently, over 300 girls were abducted from their schools in Nigeria by terrorists. These girls are meant to be sold into slavery or to be married. They are forced to convert to Islam, even though they are Christian. Tonight on the news, they were reporting about this and they showed girls on there that hadn't been abducted. These girls are just as likely to be taken from their homes and schools but they continued to go to school. They don't have to go to school, they want to go to school. They want to be educated so they can have a better life and build a better country. 

God has blessed me with a wonderful life, and access to a free education that people all over the world would kill for. Yet, I'm here in the greatest country in the world complaining because I have to study for a test or do homework. When did we as a generation forget that we are truly blessed to live where we live and have access to things that some people can only dream about? Consider this:

God has blessed me with so many thing that I take for granted; my family, my health, my education. But, I don't thank Him for it. When I say my prayers I'm not giving the glory to Him and thanking Him for all that He has done for me, I'm asking for Him to give me stuff. "God give me a boyfriend. Give me lots and lots and lots of money. God, make me thinner. Make me prettier." I don't thank Him for making me the way I am, or giving me the head on my shoulders. So what I guess I'm trying to get at here, is maybe we as not only a generation, but as a people need to start being thankful for what we have and start helping out those less fortunate.