Life is a Thread

In the movie Amazing Grace, Oloudaqh Equiano, an ex-slave, says, "Your life is a thread. It breaks, or it doesn't break." The movie, which we are using as an introduction to Equiano's autobiography, depicts the lives of those who fought to abolish slavery in England. Their lives were much like the threads Equiano mentioned. They were stretched to their maximum limits and were constantly harassed, but refused to break. People like Equiano, William Wilberforce, and Thomas Clarkson were pressured to forget their goals, but they only worked harder to show the world the immorality of slave trade. William Pitt later asks Wilberforce, "Why is it that you only feel the thorns in your feet when you stop running?" He was metaphorically saying that he only realizes the true difficulty of his work when he stops working and gets distracted by the things around him. This tells me that even when my life is stretched beyond what I feel I can bear, if I keep working toward my goal and toward what is right, I can overcome all the pain and obstacles to achieve it.

Walking by Faith...

Most people find greater security in walking by sight. They live in such a way that everything in their world is secure. There is no uncertainty in their future because it is part of their manmade plan. However, I propose that it is far safer and more secure to walk by faith. Humans, their plans, and their choices are flawed. However, God makes no mistakes. God's invisible power is far more stable than the most concrete of things on earth. I would much rather put my life in the hands of an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient being than risk everything by trying to take care of it myself, and inevitably ruin it with what I think is right. Everything about my future relies on me relying on these unseen things. They allow me to make all of my choices and guide me in the path that is best for the life I lead for God.

Foreign and Familiar

When it comes to the foreign places I've been to, the list could be extensive. There's Sidney, Montana (The Land of Endless Sheep), Graceland (The Jungle Room), and my closet. Though these places may seem to be some of the utmost exotic, the most foreign place I've ever been is Macuelizo, Honduras (technically it's Las Varas, Macuelizo, San Padre, Honduras or something like that).

Everything there seemed foreign to me. I could speak little of the language, the culture was different, and housing, if you can call it that, was less than stellar.  Living in houses made of scrap metal is commonplace in Macuelizo, as is letting your chickens, dogs, and horses run wild in the street. Drivers view any road rules as light suggestions and the local marketplace was far from my Hermitage Walmart.  National police marched down the streets carrying guns and patrolling areas for drug cartels and human traffickers. Ironically, one of the strangest things I experienced there was the attitude of love and contentment shown by everyone.

Despite the absolute foreignness of the area, much of it was also very familiar. We had an undeniable connection with those we ministered to because of our faith in the powerful love of our God. Our group kept repeating Luke 1:37 to ourselves, "...for nothing is impossible with God." We knew that it was not impossible for us to communicate God's love to people despite cultural and language barriers. We knew that it was not impossible for the children of Macuelizo to overcome the seemingly endless adversity and obstactles to lead their communities to education, development, and God. We knew it was not impossible for God to use us to touch these people, even in the places farthest to reach.

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie is a story of a family that is trapped in an endless cycle of heartbreak and hardship. The pictures of the Great Depression depict their time period and a view at their everyday life of drear and hopelessness. Despite this, they hold on to their optimism by seeing an escape from their way of life. When the characters look for the brightness in their future, they are often depicted on the fire escape, just outside the house waiting to get out. Tom's dream is to be in the military, but he also has a passion for writing, which also gives him an emotional escape. Laura hopes for love, much like she thinks she had with Jim, the boy who called her "Blue Roses." Laura clings to her glass menagerie, a representation of their dreams, which are fragile treasures in the hands of the world, and she especially loves the uniqueness of the unicorn. The soundtrack, "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers, describes a man's battle to understand his position in a place he dislikes because it suppresses his potential. Tom feels much the same way as he tries to find a better life for himself.

New Year, New Mindset

Yesterday's prayer-themed chapel was a great way to start off this year with a godly mindset. My group didn't spend as much time praying as we did discussing how we plan to glorify God throughout the upcoming year. My group, led by Allie Owen, went around to each individual and talked about how we like to spend our time. We talked about how we can use all of our hobbies to glorify God and show others that Christ is deeply involved in our lives. Many of us read some Scripture, which reminds us of God's presence in our daily lives. I loved that we could apply the lesson to each individual, rather than saying something vague that doesn't necessarily apply to everyone. I know that God brought each person into that group so that we could be uplifted by each other. At the end of the lesson Paul Teller led us in prayer and he prayed that we could all be united to working for God, the Creator, and that he could create a new zeal for each other, our school, and Christ. I think God has already created something new at DCA based on the experience that many had yesterday, and I hope he continues to bless us with physical and spiritual restoration.

Introducing Me

Who am I? What makes me happy? What's my purpose? These are all questions that I must answer every day, and the answers change often. My life is not something that can be put into words without doing an injustice to reality (I usually exaggerate the positive & underestimate the negative), but this is my blog, so I'll do what I want.
I strive to be able to say that my life is defined by Christ and glorifying him. He has gifted me with opportunities that I could have never taken advantage of without him. He blessed me with an incredible church family that ceaselessly loves, motivates, and supports me.Through life-changing programs I realized my love for evangleism and service, which I hope to share with the world for the rest of my life. My youth group is comprised of my best friends who have provided me with the best, worst, hardest, funniest, most embarrassing, most exhilirating, most disgusting, most inspiring moments of my life. My awesome DCA family has provided me with 13 years of opportunities to excel in all aspects of life. Experiences like trips to Honduras, leading a girls' bible study, being involved with drama, and finding some of  my greatest friends (students and faculty alike) have molded my approach to everything I do. Equally influential has been my spectacular biological family, who has never put an obstacle in the way of  doing anything that I truly love, even when that means that they have to eat my disgusting attempt at a Moroccan meal or tolerate my borderline obsession with obscure indie rock.
These three families have shaped my life in ways only explainable by God. They help me to see that I already have the answer to those three questions. Christ brings me "inexpressible joy" (1 Peter 1:8) and purpose. He placed these people in my life to help me fulfill his will for my life and to lead a life that's way more fun and exciting than pretty much anyone else's...except maybe the guy from the Dos Equis commercials.