An Unusual Anniversary

Exactly one year ago today, I was studying for my biology class, just like any other day. I stood up, and in doing so, my life changed. Isn’t it amazing that life can change in a split second? I had no idea that the numbness and tingling I felt would last so long, or become what it has today. Certainly I had no clue that the past year would have changed me so much.

Yet it has. Looking back, the change is interesting. Obviously, I’ve changed physically, but it is more than that. I’ve changed my area of study from graphic design to nursing (though I’m still passionate about missions, especially internationally). I would never had imagined that I’d be studying nursing this year. I had some open possibilities as to what I would be doing this year, but not one of them were nursing, or anything related. If you told me a year ago that I’d be studying nursing, I probably would have laughed, yet here I am.

My direction has changed, and so has my outlook on life. A year ago, I was a Christian, but my relationship with God has grown and deepened. I know some of this was the result of the influence of friends and professors at school last year, but the pain in my arm has drawn me closer to God as well. In a strange way, I’m almost glad for the pain because of this. I remember last summer telling God that He could do anything or take anything if it meant I would grow closer to Him. And while I’m not sure I would have prayed that so lightly if I knew what I know now, I can honestly say that it is all worth it.

I’ve made it through one year of living in pain – who knows what the next ones will hold for me. I just pray I have the strength to pull through each of them!