Who Am I?

Who am I? Sounds like a simple question that should be relatively easy to answer. I guess I should start like this...
                         
I am Ashleigh Morgan Leard, a 16 year old girl from a small town in South Carolina where the most excitement there is all year is a runaway horse in the middle of town. I attend the South Carolina Virtual Charter School, which is an online public school. I have amazing parents who have taught me how to live a meaningful life. I am a conservative Southern Baptist and love God with all my heart, but I also fear His power. I am who I am because of God and I give Him all the glory for that. However, recently, I have found myself questioning who I really am. In the past few months, I have experienced so many dramatic changes to say the least. I was given the opportunity to graduate from high school a year early. At that time, I thought I knew what career was for me, and so, while a little skeptical, I took the task on and ran with it. All I can say is WOW! I had NO idea what all this would involve. Not only am I preparing to take on a full load of classes next year for my senior year, but I am also dealing with a type of Spiritual Warfare. At one point in my young life, I thought I had everything figured out. I was sure that God had revealed to me my career. I had everything lined up to study to become and OB-GYN and was actually very excited. Then, out of no where, God changed my heart. I am not even sure why and to be honest, I was kind of disappointed because I really wanted to become a doctor. But that right there is the issue. The word I. One thing that I have learned out of this situation is that my life is not about ME. When you make your life completely about you and not about glorifying God's holy name, you cannot succeed. So to answer the DEEP question of "Who am I?", I will say this...No one really knows who they are until they decide who they aren't. So, today marks the first day of many on my journey toward finding myself through God's plans, not mine. After all, God promises, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

-A.L.