This week I wanted to talk about perseverance. It’s that time of the semester when motivation is low and people are eager to get to spring break already. So I wanted to share some encouragement with y’all. In Colossians 3:23, Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord not for men.” We are called to keep striving towards our goals and keep taking steps towards what we are called to. This can be difficult to do when all we want to do is lay in bed and watch tik toks for hours and escape our responsibilities. However we all know nothing worthwhile is achieved by this. Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks says this, “I believe life is a series of near misses, a lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all, it’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility of your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see and pursuing that vision.” Like Schultz says, our achievements aren’t luck, they’re products of our hard work. So I encourage you all to press on through the low motivation levels and keep working our hardest through this lull in the semester.

Today I’d like to share a quote with you from John Calvin, Christian Theologian. He says “nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the Knowledge of God and of ourselves.” To clarify he’s saying that we gain wisdom from knowing God and ourselves. And he takes it a step further when he says “know yourself to know your need of God.” It’s a strange concept to learn about yourself to learn about God or to gain wisdom but it is even reinforced by Aristotle over a thousand years ago when he says, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” When we learn about our strengths and our weaknesses we learn where we can use our gifts to help others, and where we lack in character and need to grow. Self awareness is key to self development and growth. One way to achieve this is through the popular personality test, the enneagram. Many of you have probably heard of the enneagram, and if you’re anything like me you might be totally obsessed with it. The enneagram is different from other personality tests in that it shows you your motivations and strengths and weaknesses. While it may seem like a fun personality test to read memes about and relate to other people with it, it is actually a useful tool to help ourselves grow in our goals, whether that be faith, or just contributing to society. So I encourage you guys to learn about yourself, the good and the bad, and use that knowledge to gain wisdom and faith.

Today I’m talking about change. we’re starting not only a new year we are also starting a new decade as well. Everyone wants 2020 and the rest of the decade to be the best years they can be. For many of us the next decade could hold graduating, getting married, going back to school, or even starting a family. As people make resolutions, many people intend to keep them but lose motivation and end up right back where they started. So I’m going to give you 3 steps to change. First, make an attainable goal. This can look like reading more, drinking more water, or praying more often. Second, employ community and accountability to help you. Make your goal known to someone you trust and ask them to hold you accountable, this can be a roommate, a fellow sister, or even praying for perserverence in your goals are good examples of utilizing the community around you. Lastly, make it a habit. Scientists have found that habits occur in 3 steps: a cue, the action, a reward. So take working out for example set a reminder on your phone so that you have a cue in your mind. Then complete the action, actually go to gym and do what you set out to do. Lastly, reward yourself when you’ve done well and completed little steps in your goal in order to give yourself a positive reaction to the action you are completing. I hope that 2020 and the rest of the decade can be a year of personal growth and change for everyone.

Hey everyone!
My name is Hannah Sturr, and I am so excited to be this year's Panhellenic Director of Spiritual Life! It is such an honor to be able to serve my fellow Panhellenic women and to have the opportunity to serve God in this way. I know life and school can be crazy and overwhelming at times, but I hope that through this blog and these devotions, you're able to find peace and hope. I want to be here for you and get to know you, so feel free to submit a prayer request (or a devotion request) on the sidebar of this page! I read a devotion and pray for everyone every other week at Council, so I hope to see you there!!

You are so loved!!
Hannah Sturr