This is absolutely crazy! I can't believe I am posting on my very own blog! If you are reading this right now you rock!! Its crazy to think this is the start of what could be a huge journey for me. If you made it to this page then you maybe read my about me page, if not, it's all good, I'm going to cover all my bases.
So I decided to start this blog because it is something that has been on my heart this whole summer, and has come up many times in conversation. Starting a blog always seemed like a good idea to me, but being the scatter-brained dreamer that I am I never followed through. This is a running theme in my life; "Oh I really should do that" is a phrase I use all too often. So this week I decided to stop dreaming and start doing, and for me that meant starting a blog where I could share my thoughts with others.
I've always loved writing. It has always come so naturally to me, I remember writing poetry in a worn out composition notebook before I was even in kindergarten. As I've grown up, I've found myself writing less and less for fun, but every time I stop and write I find myself unable to stop. It is just so freeing to spill your thoughts on a page, never stopping to think, just immersing yourself in what you could never say with words, and letting it pour straight out of your heart.
Public Speaking has never been my thing. In fact speaking in front of more than twenty people absolutely terrifies me, and my body goes into this weird shock thing where I feel like I'm melting. If you know me you are probably thinking, "No way, I know Abbey, she speaks in front of crowds all of the time." While this is kind of true, I am in a lot of leadership positions that force me to speak in front of others, that doesn't mean I don't secretly want to crawl under a rock and hide.
So here I am, in my natural habitat, a place where I can't get tongue tied, or studder, or accidentally say the exact opposite of what I mean. Welcome to my cave, come in and stay a while.
One of the things I know I am going to struggle with my senior year is being present in the moment. Like I said earlier, I am a dreamer, so I tend to spend way too much time plotting and planning my future instead of focusing on the opportunities God is putting right in front of my face. Luckily I have amazing friends and family to hold me accountable, and occasionally nudge me back into reality. But instead of simply settling with the fact that I am never present in the moment I decided to do something about it.
Last night I made a senior year bucket list, and it was kind of cool to see all of the things I wanted to achieve before graduation. I will probably talk a little bit more about my bucket list later, but for now I want to focus on a specific goal I set for myself.
I've never been any good at focusing on reading the Bible, what I mean by that is, I read it sporadically, and I skip around to random parts, never truly grasping the real meaning of anything I'm reading. So I decided to commit to read the whole new testament (in order) before I graduate. To some people this may seem like a lofty, unachievable goal, to those more immersed in the word than myself, it may seem like a basic goal. Honestly, whatever you think, I don't really care, because that's not the point. This school year I want to read the New Testament because I want to truly become a disciple of Jesus and follow Him wholeheartedly.
Last night I was reading Matthew, and I got to the part where Jesus calls the first disciples (Matthew 4: 18-22) and I knew the Lord was trying to tell me something when I read this passage.
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." IMMEDIATELY they left their nets and followed him.
-Matthew 4: 19-20
I put the word immediately in all caps because this word really stood out to me, I knew when I read this God was calling me to leave behind the things that were stopping me from wholeheartedly pursuing Him. I encourage you to do the same, I know it may be hard, but I encourage you drop whatever is coming between you and God and relentlessly pursue him. Thanks for reading!
All My Love,
Abbey Masters
Abbey, I love all of this so much! Excited for you and proud of you, if I can say that! Way to be brave and bold and no longer waiting to use your gifts. 😍 I am currently pursuing something myself that’s been on my heart to do for some time. I’ll share soon. I LOVE your goal to read the New Testament! If I can encourage you in any way, let me know! You are doing great and your heart is big and gorgeous! ❤️❤️❤️ -Sundee