The Future Is Scary, But Bright

So, I know I haven't posted in quite some time. Life has been hectic, but good. I have been focusing on my relationship with God more, and even though I doubt Him sometimes, and don't know what He is doing in my life, I still strive to my best ability to trust Him, and surrender everything to Him, even when it seems close to impossible. I'm trying to have my emotions not guide my life, and how I am feeling that day. I am seeking to be thankful more, also. To God, for all that He has blessed me with. I have an incredible family, who is always here to support and love me, amazing friends, who make me laugh, and cry, and everything inbetween, and an incredible school to attend, where God's presence can be felt in classes, conversations, and everyday life, more than I have ever experienced. God has blessed me with certain talents and gifts and passions, and I need to grasp these and be living my life in tune with the goal of using these to serve God's kingdom.
This semester has been better than last semester, but there are certain challenges. I am learning that during this semester, less may be more, in terms of commitments, and how much of myself I can give out. I am learning to not say "yes" to everything, and to take the time to re-energize myself, usually through sleep. :)
Also, I have declared my major! I am a Psychology and Youth Ministries double major, with a minor in Addictions Studies. If you were to ask me what I want to do with that exactly, I would say that I'm not sure. I am interested in becoming a Youth Pastor, but am struggling with my ideas of women in youth pastor positions. I am also interested in going to grad school to become a marriage and family therapist, or a clinical counselor. My heart breaks for the emotional and spiritual needs in teenagers, and I want to love them, and show that God loves them. I believe that the family structure that one grows up in plays a large role in shaping one's view of the world around them, as well as of oneself. I strive to have each and every teenager realize God's amazing plans for their life, and to realize who they are living for in this life.
Well, that is all for now.
God is good, all the time, even though we sometimes let life get in the way of that view.

Attitude Is Key

Lately, I have been thinking about my attitude towards everything that happens in my life. I have been considering how I react to things now, and what that reveals about my attitude. I also read part of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens today, for my youth ministry class (lots of wisdom coming from the reading for that class), and some of one of the chapters was discussing attitude. I realized that I really need to work on having a better attitude towards so many aspects of my life. I need to realize that I can't really control exactly what happens to me, but I can control how I react to what happens to me. This made me think about 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which reads "Rejoice always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I find that I tend to look at negative aspects of situations, and dwell on negative thoughts. I realize that this is really hurting myself, as I need to be able to view every day as a gift from God. I need to be a proactive thinker, and I need to be able to bounce back when something bad happens, and always find a way to make things happen if I want them to. I want to change from a "no-can-do" mentality to a "can-do" mentality. I want to be positive, I want to live my life to the fullest, with an attitude that best serves the world and those around me!!!
In light of this positive attitude, tomorrow is a snow day!!!!!!!! :) This NEVER happens here!!! It's incredible: I can't wait for a day to rest and no classes!!
Thank you IWU!!!!