Lately...

Hello everyone!

I want to first say that I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of people that consistently are curious and interested in what is going on in my life.  It is humbling to know that their are people out there that really care about the things I am doing or attempting to do.  That being said, I thought I would share with you the things that have been going on in my life outside of the hotel setting.

Lately, I have started the "big girl" job application process.  Though I still have 5 more weeks left at the Capital, the internship is flying by and before I know it I will be in what they call the "real world".  I am not nervous about this next part of my life, just a little bit anxious about when and where I will be starting this next chapter.

I have currently been applying for jobs within a five hour radius of home.  I am praying that God places me exactly where I need to be because I really don't want to be where He isn't.  In my quiet time the other day I came across this verse and it has really been something that I am trying to learn from as I keep applying for jobs.

James 4:13-15
               Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say," If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Let me explain why this verse is so big in my life right now.  I have a little problem.  My problem is that I am a planner, but not just any planner, I am an obsessive planner.  I have always had a plan for my days, my nights, my weekends.  If you look in one of my notebooks from college you would likely find a 5-10 year plan or even a nap scheduled in to my day.  Yes, I know that is really weird, I mean who really schedules a nap other than a new mother ready for her baby to sleep, but I did so get a good laugh.  Being a planner can be a great thing in a lot of ways.  You can always rely on me to follow through on my word, or be there right on time.  But, the negative to this character trait is that I tend to rely on myself and my plans and don't make room for the ones that God has for me.  I tend to do what I want and then ask God to bless it rather than asking him first.  So, being the planner I am, once I started getting calls back from these places in several cities, what is the first thing I did?  I looked up apartments, duplexes, and townhouses.  I dreamed of what my place was going to look like and how much money I could save because of how much money I could make. My dreams started multiplying and then while I was home a week ago I got hit with a huge gut check. In my prayers I had been asking God send me where you want me, I want to be where you are, but when my mom talked about me moving back to Fort Smith if I couldn't find a job I got super agitated.  Why would I want to move back home right away? I want to find a job for a few years and save money and then eventually move back to Fort Smith.  I didn't want to be back right away.  Then God whispered, "Hey Rachel, what if Fort Smith is where I want you, will you still be happy?"  Knife to the gut.  I had been praying that God would send me where He wanted me but at the same time I only wanted him to want me in the places that I had plans to go.  I don't know where I will end up or what I will be doing but I do know this, I want the will of the Father.  The same God that created the Universe is the Master Planner of my life.  He made plans that far exceed mine.  I can still dream and hope but I need to be flexible to His will and plan.

So what is my ultimate dream for my life?  What do I really want to do if I was given all the money I needed right now?  Eventually, once I have the money I want to open a lunch shop in Fort Smith, AR that also has an event space with it for people to have the parties of their dreams.  This lunch shop will hopefully be a place that all sorts of people can come together and feel that love and togetherness that food creates when it warms the soul.  I have a passion for cooking and a passion for happy people.  I want people to tell me their favorite comfort foods and I am going to try over the next few years (or however long it takes)to perfect some of them in a lower calorie but same great taste version.  If you wouldn't mind after you have read this to comment below and let me know what your favorite comfort food is.  There is a little section that says comments and I would love your feedback!

Until next time!
-Rachel

My two planners: My bible and my "life planner", I love both