"Don't live carelessly"

It's been so busy I haven't been as on top of writing quarterly blog posts, so here I am writing a combined reflection for both winter and spring quarter of 2022!

I feel that God has taught me so much over the course of these past two quarters. The best thing that has happened is that He has led me to a wonderful campus ministry that's a great fit after all the ones I've tried out so far - Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). I think different people find the right fit with different campus ministries, so it's not to say that RUF is any better than the others at UW (and there are several!) but it feels like I've never met such a faithful, humble, loving, and mature community of believers before. They're constantly encouraging and humbling me in my walk with Jesus. One of the things that has stood out to me from the beginning is how inclusive and welcoming their community is. You could be coming to RUF for the first time or the hundredth time - someone is sure to come up to you, look you in the eye and smile, ask your name and remember it next time. That little gesture means so much! You feel seen, known, and loved. It is such a wonderful thing to experience and then learn to do the same next time for future newcomers.

On that note, I would say that the friendships I've built in winter and spring have been the highlight of this year and the biggest blessing. It has been so different from fall quarter when I was still trying to figure out a good study schedule and sometimes felt lonely on the weekends when all I really had planned was studying. Friends have helped keep me accountable to read God's Word and for the first time in months I found that I could actually make myself consistently read the Bible. It was so amazing to experience those small victories of learning to make God's Word a priority everyday.

There have been other major milestones too, like getting into the Journalism & Public Interest Communication (JPIC) major (woohoo!) and solidifying my decision to double major in English language and literature and JPIC, and minor in Korean; I also successfully applied to and was admitted to study abroad this fall 2022 at Yonsei University in South Korea! From all the resumes and big applications I've completed this year (CLS, FLAS, UW Study Abroad, JPIC, English department scholarships), I've learned how to articulate my goals better and it's given me a framework for thinking about my interests, passions, strengths, and ultimately how that could influence my career path after college. Basically, they've helped me think about my future and take concrete steps in pursuit of my goals, which is something I struggle with because I find it hard to commit to a path when I have so many different interests.

In sum, the past two quarters have been so rich with new experiences, relationships, and victories. (The chronic sleep deprivation continued, but I was doing it with a roommate who also helped keep me accountable so as not to sleep so late!) I come to the end of this year with a better understanding of my academic interests and career goals and treasuring the friendships with others that have blossomed, just like the cherry blossoms in the Quad that I finally got to see in-person this past March. Praise God!

I want to end with a few phrases that have stuck with me over the past few weeks and months from sermons I've heard.

1. "Don't live carelessly" - from an RUF sermon on a passage from Ecclesiastes from our campus pastor. I was struck to the heart for how I tend to rush through things rather than be patient, and don't steward my time well by scrolling Instagram, etc.

2. "grace-driven effort" - from a Cross&Crown church sermon on 2 Peter. We are to not only rest in the Lord's grace and the completion of His finished work on the cross but to make an effort to follow Him, by His grace.

These two phrases have been treasured in my heart. I pray that I'd be able to apply them in my own life.