Day One

Today was wonderful.
And very draining.
Today was probably day one of what will be one of the most intense times of my life to this point. I am realizing that building relationships and pouring into people is very cool. It is being like Christ. And with that said, it is something I cannot do by my own strength or emotional or mental capacity. I have no other source from which I can pull the strength I'm going to need. What's more this is not a fill-up once a week or even once a day. No, this reliance is going to have to be moment by moment. This is a cool place to be, but for the control freak in me, it's also difficult. I don't control as much of my life. While I definitely still have free will to choose what I want to do and don't want to do, it is easier to do and go where God wants (or maybe what he wants is more clear). The decision itself is easier anyway. Acting on that decision is difficult to say the least but also incredibly rewarding.

All About Perspective

I'm realizing some things as I pack up and get ready for the fall semester. This semester is going to be about relationships. There is no question about that. That is going to mean getting to know the ladies in Phi Lamb better as well as demand more time, energy, discipline, and initiative on my part. Oh the great "personal growth opportunity." In this season of focusing on people (while learning to balance school), one of my biggest struggles will be living without knowing if one of those relationships will be "a more-than-friendship relationship." In more and more areas of my life, I'm seeing that my plans and desires may be good and right, but if that is not what God has purposed and planned for now, there is a reason. I have no right to know the reason (which is not my favorite thing to realize), but I can be completely sure that it is for my own good. Today, that means that I'm not living in the BCM house again and I don't have a boyfriend and I am still in Plano. And that is exactly where He wants me. This is reality, so my choice is how I look at my situation. Through God's perspective or through mine? With hope and faith or with self-pity, disappointment, and doubt? I think I'll go with the first perspective. It's based on just a little more insight and knowledge. :)

It's not about me

I was listening to one of Mat Chandler's podcasts on the way home yesterday, and he made the observation that especially in the suburbs, everything around us is designed to tell us that we are the center of the universe. We need and deserve to have x,y,z in order to be happy and satisfied. I thought about that walking through Walmart today and realized how true a statement that is. I'm horrible about going in to grab one or two things and suddenly remember other things that I "really need." But really, do I need them? What if my focus was on someone else's needs? What if I was more conscious of the people around me, who might need a smile or friendly greeting? Brandon Heath's song Give me your Eyes talks about having God's perspective on the world around me, his love, his compassion, his generosity. That's the kind of perspective that will change lives, and that's how Jesus lived. So what does that look like in my life today?
Jesus went to where the needs were in order to meet them.
Jesus touched the sick and unclean, making them feel important and loved and valued.