His Intricate Design

Hey again! I can’t believe it’s December already, only a little over a month left until the Race! As this chapter of my life is beginning to come to a close, I can’t help but feel sentimental. I’ve also been given a unique perspective, because I know I won’t come back to high school after the Race. I’ll be off to college in Colorado (go cougs!) and I’ll go through another season of change again in August. But what I’ve learned this past year is that life is full of change, expected and unexpected. God has far bigger plans than we could ever imagine and that is a beautiful and terrifying thought. 2023 was a year of big losses and big gains for me, and I’m stepping into 2024 as someone completely different than I was a year ago. I’ve experienced a lot of major life changes and in turn, God brought forth a lot of heart change. My relationship with the Lord has been pushed, stretched, and tested this year, but I’m grateful to walk into 2024 with the same God who had His hand on my life throughout the hardships and trials during 2023, even if I struggled to see or feel it. I learned firsthand how sometimes He uses an ugly-looking today to piece together a beautiful tomorrow. God has also taught me a lot about perspective this year. Not necessarily a positive outlook or a negative one, but an eternal perspective. To remember that the Author of the universe has a colorful story written for us, we just have to trust that even if today seems lifeless and dull, it contributes to the vibrance of God’s intricate and breathtaking design for our lives.

2 Corinthians 4:17 – “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

I used to react with anger and frustration when someone would tell me to just “trust in God’s plan,” because how could they know what I was going through? How could they tell me to trust something I’d never really seen when all I could see in front of me was big and scary and not divine at all? But I woke up the next morning. And the morning after that. And it wasn’t until later that I realized God gifted me every single one of those days and I was still here and still serving a purpose, even if I didn’t know what it was. Life got easier when I stopped trying to figure out what I was created for because it no longer mattered. I understood who I was created for, and once I figured that out, everything else fell into place, despite all my past mistakes and anxieties. My freedom from fear of the future lies in the realization that God’s calling is stronger than any obstacles, including my own doubts. Knowing that has made jumping headfirst into God’s plan a lot less intimidating and allowed me to confidently step into the authentic and unique person God calls me to be.

“He calls us on adventures to walk with Him to unexpected places, to give of ourselves in unanticipated ways, to do with Him something we had not planned, and to be used by Him in capacities we had not considered.” – Reginald M. Buckley

Lastly- fundraising update! I am almost 90% fundraised, which is incredible! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me financially, emotionally, and spiritually! Catch y’all on the Race in 34 days,

Camille Curtis