Alissa Tanguay - The Journey Continues
Blogging for Southern has been such a positive experience! For starters, blogging has kept my focus outward. During first semester, I realized how easy it was for me to get so caught up in my life and everything I needed to do, that I was subsequently overlooking the funny things, life lessons, or even spiritual lessons from my experiences. However, blogging forced me to get out of my comfort zone and look at my life from a different perspective, so I could find things other than homework and food to write about! For instance, a few things I have accomplished this semester that were great blog starters were rafting, the 5K race, the hospital ministry trip, and caroling. Blogging also helped me look at my life from a different perspective as I asked myself how I could tie God into my writing. A couple of the posts, such as the ones about the coast guard, air show, and puzzle pieces, showed me pictures of God in ways I hadn’t thought about before. Blogging forced me to find something good from my week to write about, which kept me focused on something truly important – a positive attitude. During this second semester, I plan to keep writing here and there, to update my family and friends, but also as a reminder to me of how God has led me this year. Reading my old blogposts is a great way to remember all of the blessings I have received so far this year! This is super important because becoming stressed and bogged down with the cares of life is easy, but if you take time to write down just a few sentences when you receive a blessing or an answer to prayer, that will help bring you peace in the stormy times.
If you are a high school senior who is considering Southern as an option for the future, just come!!!! This school is wonderful, but there are other very nice Adventist schools that offer different programs or may suit the needs of certain people better than Southern. I struggled with my decision of which school to attend, but prayer is an essential component to that decision. Pray about where to attend school, and God will show you. Southern has assisted me in becoming a more responsible person, and I have felt God leading me. If you happen to already be here at Southern as a freshman, that’s great! Here are my four suggestions.
(1) Learn how to focus. Everyone says time management is important, which is true, but you must know how to buckle down and focus during the time that you have. Slowly, I learned that if you are not focused, it doesn’t matter how much time you have. So, practice staying focused, even if it is just for a small amount of time at first. Practice makes perfect!
(2) College life is stressful, but if you learn how to say no, you’ll be a much happier person. As I have mentioned before in my blogs, I tend to say yes to almost every activity. Even though activities are wonderful and being involved is great, you need to step back and evaluate how much you can handle. Do well in several things instead of decently in many.
(3) Enjoy the Sabbath! I have also mentioned this idea in other blogs, but it stands repeating. The Sabbath is a magnificent day, yet when there are two big tests on Monday, focusing on Jesus and your spiritual life can become extremely difficult. Make a conscious effort to put away your textbooks, to-do lists, and anything else school related. Revel in the peace and serenity of the Sabbath because God knew you would need a day off!
(4) Don’t cheat yourself – just go to sleep! During first semester, I would stay up pretty late to finish assignments and study. However, I soon found that wasn’t a very helpful method since I would be so tired the next day in class. Some upper classmen told me to not cheat myself on sleep, so this second semester I have been trying much harder to go to bed earlier. Not only do I feel more awake during class, but I am also able to focus better and get my homework done faster. Keep your spirit up, and if you’re feeling down, do something nice for someone else! Next year, I hope to have mastered these four things, thereby leading a more balanced life. But until then, I’m still a work in progress! Thus far I have been blessed beyond belief, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the years to come. There truly is joy in the journey, and the journey has only just begun!
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” ~ Arthur Ashe
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them (stress, schoolwork, etc.), for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.“ Deuteronomy 31:16 NIV