Recently,
I wrote my first admissions essay for my application to
Liberty University (LU).
The prompt for the the essay was "How will your personal faith
and beliefs contribute to Liberty’s mission to develop Christ-centered
leaders?" and I had to answer that in 200-400 words (the word limit for
any essay I write is always the hardest part for me). As I began searching my
brain for ways I could contribute to the mission of what seems like the perfect
college on the planet, I found that my contributions to this college needs to this fallen world NOW! As a Christian, I have
a mission on this earth. I am to be a missionary for Jesus Christ even if I am
not called to a life of full time ministry. God commands me to use my
gifts to serve others. And God has given me family and friends that love the
Lord who can challenge me with their own convictions and experiences.
Before leaving the earth and returning to God the Father,
Jesus commanded His disciples, “Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 ESV). Jesus
chose these specific instructions before leaving His followers for an important
reason; He wanted his disciples to know that this is what they were on the
earth to evangelize. Matthew included The Great Commission in his Gospel because
this is a command to all believers. This is a command to me. My goal in life is
to live a life in full submission to Jesus Christ and, through the Holy Spirit,
lead others to a life free from sin and separation from God. Because I have
received Salvation, I want to pour the joy I have into others who may or may
not have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Just because I thinking I am too young to be respected doesn't give me a free pass not to obey Jesus' command. Sharing the Gospel with others show the love that Jesus showed me when He gave his life for me on the cross.
Also, another way to show Christ's love is through service. One of my favorite events I attended during my visit at LU was Campus Serve. I was inspired by how many students voluntarily give
their Saturday to serve others in the community around the college. I knew at
that moment that if/when I attend LU, I would participate in Campus Serve, but
why does it take an organized time and day of the week for me to serve? I needed to step back and change the way I look at service. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one
another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” There is no shortage or limit
of how much I can serve. I just have to keep my eyes open to the
needs of others.
Lastly, I need to seek out the fellowship of believers who can challenge me to make me a better person. I had a teacher in middle school who
made Proverbs 27:17 a common phrase in my sixth grade class. Every time we
would review a worksheet, there would always come a time
when someone answered a "fill-in-the-blank" incorrectly.
Rather than simply stating the right answer, she would call on another student to
say the correct answer saying “as iron
sharpens iron, on man will sharpen another” (Proverbs 27:17 ESV). I have never
forgotten this verse. She metaphorically drilled this
verse into my head. Now I see the importance of the verse. Christians are made
to fellowship and we grow spiritually from conversations with other believers.
But contrary to my original thought, I don't need a Theology class or a dorm prayer
group to be sharpened. I can be sharpened even now in high school.
The sharpening doesn't begin when I become an LU student. I need to be
challenged now.
Since writing that essay I have been focusing on these three concepts. So I hope The Great Commission convicts you like it did me, I hope you are inspired to serve others with your talents as Campus Serve inspired me, and thirdly, I hope you seek out fellowship with others who will stir you up to good works as stated in Proverbs 27:17.
The sweet, modern Cinderella story, starring the hansome Prince William and his Bride, Catherine, is the best romance of life! I know I am not alone in just adoring Kate Middleton. She can wear anything! From a formal gown that would look just plain frumpy on me to a polo a jeans that would make me look five years behind the popular east coast trend, she looks fabulous in it all! She created a wedding that would be emulated for years to come. But most of all, her grace and kindness make her a wonderful example for girls of all ages.
Sadie is an All-American sweetheart. She became famous on her family's reality TV show, "Duck Dynasty". Her family shows their strong Christian faith by ending each episode with a prayer "in Jesus' name." But Sadie has made her family's faith her own. She is comfortable speaking out about Christianity. For example, recently, she was interviewed by FOX News and in the interview she called out celebrities who had, like her, became famous at a young age, but allowed their fame to cloud their morals and make poor decisions (::cough:: Miley ::cough::). She said, "I think people use their fame as an excuse to lose their faith." She continues to say that God should be the priority and she "Puts Him at the top of everything." She also has her own line of "daddy approved" formal dresses by Sherri Hill (and may I say, they are lovely!)
