college Archives

College wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t what it was portrayed in movies. I haven’t had the college experience that teenagers and young adults dream about. I’ve had the opposite – a nightmare. College just didn’t go the way I envisioned it. I can’t tell you my whole college experience here because, well frankly it’s long and I am tired of telling it.

Let’s put it this way, when people used to ask me about college and how it was going, they were expecting the typical “Oh, it’s great! I love it!” response. But that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t even fake a smile and say “good” without tears falling down my face and revealing my true feelings on the matter.

I only had three friends – one of them was killed by a drunk driver. My professors and community challenged and made fun of my faith in Jesus. My job as a Resident Advisor involved watching students have near death experiences over and over again, as well as domestic violence, rape and even suicide.

Though my time at college hasn’t been what I’ve dreamed of, it is the story of how Jesus was revealed through all of it.

I started college as a fresh Christian and in a “hunky-dory” faith per say. I was excited about being a Christian, but my faith had never been challenged. It was never shaken. I felt solid.

Enter college and you’ll get your faith knocked around.

I started facing trial after trial after trial and felt hopeless. Yet, God reminded me to be hopeful. As cliché as that sounds, it was true. When I was at my darkest and everyone was asking “Where is your God now?”, I wondered too. Where was my God? My Father? The King of all Kings? When everything was going against everything I planned, where was He? Then I read the poem Footprints in the Sand.

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

Instantly I had tears in my eyes. How was I so blind? I was being carried in the arms of God and didn’t even realize it. He had bigger plans – plans where I sometimes couldn’t even see the fruit. I quickly realized that His bigger plans were not having the best four years of college. The plans I made were the center of my being and I held on tight to what I wanted. My plans did not add to the Kingdom. As I started to see how each trial brought me closer to Him as well as brought others to know Him, I understood God’s plans were always better. There may be pain and hurt along the way, but there is amazing hope in the Lord to do good and build the Kingdom.

Your life may feel like a mess and that it isn’t going according to plan, but know that God is doing something bigger than you could ever imagine. He is moving in our plans, carrying us when we can’t walk on our own, and creating an incredible story that we can be a part of.

Hey friends, Haley here!

If you have read my bio you will know that I am in my last year of college and studying Interior Design (such a random major I know). I have lived on campus for all four years at my University. As an interior design major, you can imagine how excited I get to decorate my dorm room every year and try to make it more like a home.

I kid you not, designing how I am going to make my dorm room my home is like Christmas morning for me (I know…such a nerd). This year, I am going for a shabby-chic and homey vibe. I want my room to feel like a home and not a traditional dorm room. To do this, I am pulling things you would normally find in a home into my room such as a nice wooden bookshelf, curtains, plants, tables and of course picture frames. A picture frame wall, I have found, is a great way for any young adult to have a cleaner and mature look, while still being able to express their interests and who they are.

Now if you are a young adult, and are like me, money is not something you have an abundance of. A DIY frame wall can look expensive, but with the help of the dollar store and some effort, I promise you it can be done for cheap.

Things you need:

•Frames

•Wall Hanging Adhesive or Velcro

•Printed photos

Step 1: Get the Frames

I recommend Dollar Tree or any other local dollar store you can find. Figure out what color or kind of frame you want. I have seen walls with different sized frames, different colored frames and even walls with all the same styled frame. I personally picked all the same sized generic black frames since what I am putting in the frames are colored. Try to steer clear of frames that have the stand in the back because it makes it harder to attach to the wall. The frames I found to be the most successful were actually the ones that have fake certificates in them. Get as many frames as you would like. I got 20 for my room because my frame wall is large.

Step 2: Pick Photos

Here is the fun part – picking your photos! Now depending on the type of look you want to go for determines what you should put in the frames. If you want your wall to look more cohesive and mature, use black and white photos. I personally am a huge sucker for inspiring quotes. I raided my “Inspiring Quotes” board on Pinterest and picked quotes that had a white or neutral background. I also picked a few sketched photos of coffee and high heels. Everything I picked is relatively neutral and soft to keep it as cohesive as possible.

Step 3: Print Photos

Depending on if you have a printer at home or not determines where you will be printing your photos. By no means do they need to be printed on expensive paper. I decided to print my photos on pastel cardstock that I got from Target for 3 dollars to give my wall a little bit of color, but printing it on white will look just as nice.

Step 4: Put the Photos in the Frames

This is pretty self explanatory 🙂

Step 5: Hanging the Frames

I recommend getting the adhesive Command Strips Velcro hanging tape from Target. Each box is around 6 dollars. Depending on how many frames you are putting on your wall, you may need a few boxes. The Velcro will go on the corners of the fames when you are about to hang them. How you hang it is all up to you. If you want a more organized look, the frames could go on straight and orderly. If you want a more relaxed look I recommend making the frames mixed between horizontal and vertical and fit them together.

Step 6: Step Back and Admire

Now just sit back and enjoy your new frame wall (trust me your friends who come over will too!)

College + Jesus

DIY Frame Wall

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