Many are the Plans . . .

The other day a dear friend of mine's husband said to me, "I hope you know that God is grooming you for something big.  Because we see it.  And we're excited about it for you."


This small statement really encouraged and terrified me.  Lately, I've been in a season where it's been hard for me to see my growth in my relationship with the Lord.  This is an ongoing process and I seem to be learning my lessons (but slowly).  Sometimes it's hard to mark where I've come from and how God has worked.  So, it was very exciting for me to hear that God had given others I respect a vision of how He is working in my life.  


I have always been the girl with the plan.  The one who knew where she was headed, how she was going to get there, and what she would do once she arrived.  But God has been slowly working in my heart, showing me the adventure of following step by step rather than assuming I know what's best.  And that's the part that's scary for me.  The not knowing.  The need for faith instead of having already decided on a course of action.  


Right now, the future seems unclear for me.  As you readers know (or maybe you don't), I am currently working on an Master of Arts in English, with a focus in Rhetoric and Composition.  This means that I'll teach either high school English (my undergraduate degree) or college freshmen in Composition 101.  And I really, really enjoy this.  

May 2010 undergraduate graduation

With several members of the marvelous English faculty at Gardner-Webb University 

But I also have a HUGE passion for Christian theatre.  It's something I've been involved with since I was 6 years old, and it makes me excited for what God wants to do in the arts. 

Me at age 7 in Little Women

In Genesius at age 18

After May 2012 (when I finish my MA), there seems to be a huge, thick veil drawn across the future.  It's as though I have two paths set before me, both of which I could enjoy.  I could teach high school or college English, helping students think critically and make meaning of their world through writing and reading.  

Reading with Dad, around age 4

Writing while studying abroad in Wales

OR I could do theater, pouring into kids and directing them.  I feel that theater is where my strongest passion lies.  It's what moves me to tears, gets me excited, and makes me as giddy as a little kid on Christmas morning.  

Good News, Scrooge in 2004 (?)

As Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables (2005)

The choice seems easy, doesn't it?  But then I start to ask "What If?"  And I start to worry--how will I have any money to eat?  Where will I live?  Where will my insurance come from?  What if that ends up not being what I want to do?  What if I'm not any good at it?


And then God steps in and says, "Carrie, don't you see that I can handle this?  I see where you're headed.  I know what I have in store for you.  And I LOVE you. Rest in that.  I've got this."


And I'm learning.  Pray with me, friends.  God's got something BIG in store, and I'm very excited about it.  :)

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand" ~ Proverbs 19:21