With graduation just behind us, we move from the safety and security of a place that we have made home over the course of four years to a time of transition and many unknowns. New jobs, new cities, new financial concerns, new friends, and many other aspects of this period of change, although very exciting, also seem daunting and overwhelming. Saying goodbye to the family we have made here at UVa is not easy. Although I know that many wonderful things are in front of me, I am not a big fan of transition periods. In light of this, I find great comfort in the words of Joshua 1:9, which reads, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” God promises a relationship in which He never leaves us by ourselves. This promise is unconditional; God doesn’t say that He is only with us when we are worshipping Him or reaching out to Him. He is always by our side, even if we stray from Him, reject Him, or don’t love Him. Nothing that we do can make Him leave us or love us any less. This knowledge provides me with the comfort that I never have to rely solely on my own abilities to take on whatever challenge comes my way. If I did, my life would be defined by defeat after defeat. There is just no way that I could face the hard times by myself. Because of the grace of God, He is constantly there to be our rock when our own strength and courage fail us. I find great relief in the fact that I will not be facing this time of great change alone.
Frances Grimball Gouldin ’15, was a Horizons Fellow in 2014-2015. She is now married and working as a dentist in Charleston, SC.
