Three Weeks Till Takeoff

I am officially at the three week mark till I graduate. I cannot believe it, a day I never thought would come is swiftly approaching. I have one week left of classes and three till graduation! Presbyterian College is a unique place, a special place and such a nurturing place. I didn't think that I was going to make it to my senior year and I didn't think that I was going to love this place this much.PC has been four years of struggles, challenges, and opportunities for growth. These are four years that I would never change or trade for anything. These four years have shaped me into the woman I am today and have helped build the solid foundation upon which I have built my life. I would not be me without PC, the people I have met, the people I have loved and the people who have loved me. I am forever thankful for this special school and am truly delighted for all the future students who will be blessed with a degree from Presbyterian College.If you had told me four years ago that I would be the woman I am today--a woman with confidence, courage and strength--I wouldn't believe you. The girl I came to PC as was not confident, was not very out going and did not recognize her self worth. I am no longer that girl--through many challenging and hurtful situations I turned to God and we began to build a relationship. That relationship has saved me too many times to count and I know will continue to save me.I am leaving PC with more than just a degree; I am leaving PC with a beautiful and strong relationship with God, an incredible powerhouse support group-- full of great friends and mentors, an assurance of who I am and whose I am, and beautiful and powerful wings that are going to help me soar. PC has been, and continues to be, a spiritual and developmental journey for me. If I had never come to Clinton I might never have met Margaret, the woman God intended her to be. My journey is not over, God has many things planned for me--I have so much more to grow, learn and develop. But I can say that I am fully equipped for success--thanks to God.My wings have been developing, I have been growing, strengthening, and shaping my wings. I have one week left in my little cocoon or nest (whichever analogy you prefer) but as a dear friend told me, I won't have to be pushed--I am ready to fly. PC's protective nest has been getting too small, my cocoon too tight. I can just feel it, I am ready to fly. I have been equipped with supportive and loving friends and family who have nurtured and loved me; I have received an incredible education; and I have developed an incredibly strong faith and dependence on God. All these things have equipped me for the next move. I am about to embark on a the adventure of a lifetime--I am going to Scotland for graduate school. If only I could go back to that young and scared Margaret at 18 and tell her it would all be alright; she was going to make it and not just make it she was going to soar higher than she ever imagined and roar louder than she ever thought possible. Oh the places I have been and oh the places I am going to go.It truly took every bad, sad, heartbreaking, joyful, triumphant and wonderful experience for me to get here and have the faith and relationship I do with God. I do not always succeed in what I try for, but I refuse to give up. God has created us all to be special and unique--God wants us all to soar, we just have to decide we can do it.Isaiah 40:28-31Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint of grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.Do not ignore the call of God--God is calling each and every one of us to be great. Recognize whose you are--you are royalty, you are a daughter or son of Royalty...meaning a princess or prince. Why choose to live as a peasant? God made you unique and has special plans for you. Don't choose to be mediocre when you were made to be special.God is with us every step of the way and though the journey can be tough, rough, and exhausting, at times, God is always there providing never-ending strength.Spread your wings. And fly."I might only have one match but I can make an explosion" --Rachel Platten (Fight Song)"So if you care to find me, look to the Western Sky! As someone told me lately: 'Everyone deserves the chance to fly!' And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free. To those who'd ground me, take a message back from me. Tell them how I am defying gravity, i'm flying high, defying gravity. And soon I'll match them in renown! And nobody in all of OZ--No wizard that there is or was [nobody ever] is going to bring me down!" (Elphaba--Wicked).God wants to transform you. God wants you to soar. So trust God, spread your wings and fly with God. No one will ever be able to bring you down.May the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.