Dawn To Dusk

When I’m completely honest with myself, I’m paralyzed at the thought of writing a blog post. What do I have to say that will encourage and uplift others? What will give others an accurate glimpse into the life of the Arndts? How can I glorify God through my writing? Whoa. That’s so much pressure! I have always loved the idea of writing, but I have rarely felt that my writing accurately expressed my thoughts...or at least in a way I wish it could. That brings me to the term and subject of surrender. Surrender is defined as “to give up or hand over” and I’ll begin with saying that writing this blog is a very, painfully small version of surrendering. I’m trusting God that maybe someone needs to read this post and that ultimately it will bring some glory to Him and some encouragement to someone else.

As many of you know, I’m officially finished with my master’s degree! I graduated on May 9^th with an M.S. in Counseling and Human Development. In a western sense, my hope was to use it in a school counseling setting, but as I’ve predicted and felt called to for years now, God had it planned that I was going to use this degree in a nontraditional sense at least for the time being. That also terrifies me! Thankfully, I’m encouraged, resting in the fact that the Maker of Heaven and Earth wastes nothing and goes behind and before me.  So we shall see! Now that I have a bit more time, I hope to contribute more to our blog!

As I’ve looked back and reflected with God lately, I stand in awe of the grace and love that He has shown us in the Radford and Blacksburg communities. Upon moving to Radford, we got involved with a small group consisting of newly married couples, and just as God and his incredible timing would have it, all of our new friends were all here for the same two-year season. Now, he has called the majority of our group to other things—graduate school, a residency, and teaching overseas just to name a few routes we’re all taking. I feel honored to have walked with these couples and to have been a small part of their stories. I will always treasure these years and look back on this time of life as incredibly special. Coupled with that, we made great friends with our neighbors (and fellow students in my grad program), and I have had a fabulous core group of friends that walked the journey of graduate school with me. I feel thankful.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about seasons and our upcoming transition and how it is similar to the way that dawn changes to dusk. The transition comes slowly, but beautifully. For me, singing and music has always been a central piece to the way I worship. There’s something about singing a hymn that’s been sung for hundreds of years or singing in a large group of voices that moves me, many times, to tears. We’re all singing to the One who wants to know us and who loves us fiercely at our best and also just as fiercely at our very worst.

As graduate school came to an end, and as I finished my final class, I remember a giant wave of fear suddenly struck when I walked away from my final course. I felt like life had come to a screeching halt and I stood there, tears welling up, thinking, “Oh my gosh. Now that I’ve finished, there are so many unknowns ahead.” I was immediately, but briefly, panicked by the unknowns concerning my life for the next three years. It comforts me to know that He is above all, through all, and in all and He already knows that the pressures and stresses of the world will be too much for me to face alone. That’s when I remember, “Cast all your anxiety, your worries, your fears, your insecurities on me.” That’s really not said as a suggestion. It is clear that we need him and will always need him to pull us close and to take us back into his arms.

So. This term: surrender. I’m not very good at it. Really, at all. I guess most people aren’t. PRAISE GOD that I don’t have to carry the weight of this world alone! God longs to take care of me and show me the goodness that is found in him and in the people that are around me. I praise God for the faces of joy and light that encourage me to leap forward into his arms and urge me to follow when God nudges at my many times untrusting, and often unwilling, heart.  Often I think, “God can us ME?” and then I remember how often I’ve heard, “He doesn’t call those who are able, he enables those he calls!” How true. I’m thankful for this grace. I look forward to this thing called surrendering in many ways, but I also know that it’s going to be scary and I ask for your prayers as God teaches me and draws me closer.  “Tomorrow’s freedom is today’s surrender,” says the All Sons and Daughters song. How truer could a statement be? “Now to Him to is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us to Him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:21)

God has been so good to us! Just as we have prayed and asked for prayers and God’s provision, he is making a way. We have 75% of our continual giving raised (monthly, yearly givers) and 44% of our outgoing, one-time costs raised! Please continue to pray as details come together for our transition. We’re moving out the end of July and have trainings in June, August, and September. We hope to visit our families during August. Pray that we will learn and retain helpful information that can be used to help others with sustainable development and overall mental and physical wellness! Most importantly, please pray that we will be the hands and feet of Jesus to those we meet. Thank you for journeying with us!