Ashes to Beauty...

First of all, I can not believe that it has been almost an entire MONTH since the last time I posted anything. This last month of school has been such a whirlwind with finishing the semesters school work, working, and in just a few days...GRADUATION!!! This Saturday, May 12th, 2012 has been in the making for 6 years! I can honestly say that I never thought this day would ever come. I can think back to when I graduated high school in 2006 thinking I would just stay at home in NJ to finish my degree first at a community college and then at a local 4 year college. It was my mother who was the one to push me to the point of making the decision to move away to college just to get that experience of living away from home. I am eternally grateful for my mother in pushing me to take the leap of faith and move to Virginia  for school.
The last few weeks has given me a chance to reflect on the last 3.5 years here at Liberty University. I can still remember vividly my very first day on campus and how scared and overwhelmed I was to leave home for the first time. It wasn't like I was going to summer camp for a week...I was about to step into the next stage of this little thing called life! It was within those first couple of weeks my RA and now good friend Magin Mills gave me a scripture verse that has stuck with me during my years here. "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me STRENGTH."- Philippians 4:13.
While reflecting over the last few weeks on my time at Liberty, I have been in awe of how mighty the Lords healing hand has been upon my heart and soul. I think about some of the women in the Bible and one person I can relate to and resonate with is Mary! God took a little girl Mary who was a no-body and made her a somebody! And that somebody just happened to be the mother of the God I serve! How stinking cool!!! Like Mary, when I came to Liberty back in January 2009, I was a nobody, I saw no significance in myself, didn't believe I could ever graduate from college because that is all I was ever told by teachers and counselors growing up. But God had other plans to prove those people wrong. It was my faith in God that He could be the one to transform and re-mold my heart, I had to choose to rest in His free grace and love, and He could take my life and give me a purpose. And this is exactly what He has done. He has taken my ashes and has made them beautiful....and will continue to make them into a master piece.
Leaving Liberty in less than a week now is becoming very bitter sweet. This place has been my home for 3.5 years. I have gained a second family here through my church, friends, co-workers and professors. I will miss almost everything about this place but I am also very excited to see what God has in store for the future. This place has almost been a "pruning" stage of life and now I am ready to jump this launching pad into the next stage of life. It is fascinating to look back now and see the journey God has taken me on to get to where I am today and I could tell you stories for days. There is one lady I could not have done it without though and that is my little mama, everyone knows her as "Ma Ping". Without her support, love and encouragement, I would not have been able to do this. What better way to celebrate Mothers Day weekend this year than walking across that stage Saturday and thanking her for helping me get to the other side!

Ping-ism for today- We don't know the plans that God has in store for us down the road, we aren't even promised tomorrow. Believe that God is the author and perfecter of our faith, He is the one writing our stories...to bring Him glory. To God be all the glory, for taking ashes and making them beautiful.