As a child, I was always creating things. I was never handy with wood or art, but I would set my mind on fire with things I could do with the little scraps of paper and secret club-meetings I had. Words became a way to create things beyond my imagination. I wrote my first poem around age 6, and my brother told me it was ‘pretty good’. After that, whether it was writing contests, journaling, poetry, or just descriptions of people I observed, I couldn’t stop writing.
Around age 14, I became avidly interested in the things of the world going on around me. I listened as the whole network of talk radio came alive with fury over the 10 day starvation of Terri Schindler Schaivo. I, too, caught the fire and began listening to real things about others that I had never cared to tune into before. I realize now that the issue of life-support is a controversial and painful issue, but it was that vegetable of a soul that opened my mind to the injustices of politics, our court systems, and the twist of the law in favor of death.
While my interests ranged widely from singing, to photography, to playing piano, one of my greatest loves was just observing people. Some people say I think too deeply about what I see beneath the surface, but I believe that what is beneath the surface is who we are. As I grew to love being with people more than anything, I found myself passionate about telling them what I believe, and wanting to write it all down.
And yet, there’s something missing. I had gotten saved around the age of 10 when a preacher preached about fire, brimstone, and the sure way of salvation. For a while I had more of a fear of God, than a desire to serve Him, love Him, and do His will. I was busy debating politics, holding staunchly to what I believed to be right, and writing down everything that crossed my path and influenced me to think about something deeper than I had before.
So God got a hold of my attention by moving my best friend away, taking my brother off to college, and making me feel more alone and lost than I ever had in my life. Yet, I learned that the things He observes are far better than what I could ever see on my own. At the age of 17, He got me a job at a little gift shop, and there I met person after person who had a great job but really didn’t have any purpose or pleasure in their career. I found myself enjoying discussions of religion and politics - but God became more real to me as I realized that no career could ever make me happy. I realized one day while I was trying to tell a man what God meant to me, that God isn’t just a religion one can debate. He is a personal, all-knowing, all-powerful God. If I am to fight and write, He is whom I will fight and write for.
Wherever God leads me in life, I know that college is just a stepping stone. I plan to do a lot of things in life, but for once I believe I’ll let Him do the planning. I feel He is leading me to college to major in Print Journalism, and minor in my second love - music with a voice proficiency. I have no idea how He’ll use it, but I’m excited to think of all the ways I can grow along the way. After all, it’s not my career I’m living for. It’s right now where God has placed me. I hope you’ll consider your college to be the best place for God to grow me this next fall.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Andria
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