December 4, 2009

Home Sweet Home

There is nothing quite like being at home, and I'd have to say that one of my favorite things about being home is going to church on Sundays with the people that have been in my life since I was about two years old. Hugging the older people that have taught me so much about life and have been encouraging me in my success in both faith and academics is so comfortable, and a good sermon is just the icing on the cake. I am about a week over-due in posing this, but last Sunday Brother David said,

"We cannot look to human beings, like ourselves, to learn more about ourselves."

One thing I have always focused on is knowing who I am. I don't think that search is ever complete, and there are periods in my life in which I feel that I may know myself more or less, but that concept is in the back of my mind. I find the way that we go about knowing ourselves interesting. Obviously the person that knows the most about each of us is God, the person who created us. So why do we continue to look at people that are just like us, people who are lost, confused, and broken, to teach us who we are? Why not learn more about ourselves by clinging to the creator who is, in fact, perfect?

This may seem a bit ironic since the purpose of this blog is to document quotes that stand out to me, invariably teaching me things or helping me gain perspective. But I think there is a difference in seeking wisdom from people like ourselves and in placing full responsibility on people like ourselves to teach us things. So, from now on when I find myself eager to learn more about myself, I hope that I can remind myself that divine intimacy is the only way.

November 7, 2009

The Unknown

This Thursday at RUF, Reid Dunn spoke since Ted was out of town. In his discussion of Abraham's failed tests, he made a remark that I've been dwelling on since.

"Do not keep facing the devil you know to avoid facing the devil you don't."

After large group this spurred much discussion, and it even awoke me in the middle of the night with this realization: we as people have an underlying fear and sense of anxiousness of the unknown. We are constantly wondering what is next and how we can plan for it, or if you're like me, just secretly hoping that things will all just stay as they are--comfortable and familiar. Lately my friends and I have all been trying to decipher God's plan for our lives upon graduation in the coming months, and regardless of how many pro/con lists we make, this answer will only come through much prayer and at the time in which the Lord chooses to reveal the answer.

However, this statement by Reid adds a new dimension to my analysis on my personal plan. I am very much a person who appreciates consistency and routine and is resistant to most change. This makes me wonder whether my lack of deciding on either continuing with law school or moving to a new city really is just a matter of the former being not only what I know, but a familiar plan and idea versus the latter which is uncharted territory in not being in an academic setting and forcing independence. So here I shall sit, on this eve of an ending, and patiently await the answer of where to go next and pray that me clinging to familiarity will not be a factor.

November 5, 2009

Matt Wertz

I have never written a blog before, and never thought I would. But lately I have discovered that I really like other people's takes on life. So, I will be using this for writing down quotes, song lyrics, or random happenings of the day that I really like or that cause me to pause and reflect.

For some reason I cannot quit listening to Matt Wertz. "Counting to 100" and "That for You" have been two that are constantly on repeat in my car, but today I ventured to "All I Know." There is one line in particular that makes my heart swell and mind fixate on:

"I don't know how You swallow all I am, when I can't stand my taste."

To me, that has summed up my faith as of late. I keep making the same stupid mistakes or trusting in my plan versus the Lord's for me. This line just says it all--regardless of how many times we find ourselves messing up, God loves us. He takes us in completely when we don't even like ourselves. Nothing is more encouraging than that!

Thinking Outloud