Lessons Learned...on Spring Break

First off, I know what you must be thinking, how could anyone possibly learn something during a break that is known for its wild parties and antics. Well, my Spring Break this year was anything but typical! I had the chance to go to DC for ten days to see all the people there who I love but don't get to see anymore. While I was there, I was confronted with a lot of things about my life and the lives of my friends that I did not expect before the trip. Before I left Denver, I was so focused on getting a break from school and all the stresses that come along with it that I didn't really take time to think about what might await me in DC. Looking back, I wish I would have spent some time in prayer that God would be in all my interactions throughout my time there, but even though I didn't, I know that He was there. In every conversation and even in every moment of time by myself, He was there working in me and showing me things that I had been missing.

One of the most important things that I came away from the trip with was the realization that my time is not my own. Over the past few months I've been telling myself to enjoy this season of singleness because once its over, I will not just be accountable to myself with how I spend my time. But last Tuesday I went to the Gathering at AU and John spoke about giving our resources and using what we have to glorify God. He spoke about the widow in Mark 12 who gives all she has as an offering and it made me think about how little I give of myself and the resources I've been given. Then, on Sunday, back in Denver, the sermon was once again on giving. That made me really stop and examine how I give, or don't give and I realized that my time really isn't my own at all. At this juncture in life, I don't have much materially to give, but I do have my time and myself to offer and to give to others. All this time I'd been trying to make myself feel better by saying that my time is my own and it's great because that means I can do whatever I want whenever I want. But that is so untrue. Absolutely everything that I have has been given to me. My time is included in that and the way that I spend that time can either be glorifying to God or not. It's been a long time since something has seriously convicted me like this. But it has been a wake-up call, because I want to serve and use the resources I have to glorify the Kingdom of God, but I haven't been doing that as of late.

During my time in DC, things worked out in an incredibly cool way so that the time I was spending with my friends was for the most part in one-on-one situations where we got to spend some quality time together and really talk. Not just the superficial stuff that fills a lot of my conversations, but the heart stuff that I so dearly miss. Those conversations were such a reminder of how important community is and how important it is to have people in your life who will ask the tough questions and really push you to be better.

Not only did I get to talk about my life, I also got to hear about what was going on in their lives. One thing I've noticed since making the move out here is that it is very difficult to keep conversations current. A lot of my conversations with friends over the past 7 or so months have involved catching up on our respective lives. It takes so much effort to maintain friendships over long distances, and I will be the first to admit that I haven't been as diligent as I could be in terms of making sure that the lines of communication stay open. Lives get busy and its so easy to make excuses about why conversations, whether they be over the phone or email, can't happen. But after getting the chance to sit down and really hear how things are going, I really want to keep things current. It sounds so procedural and forced, but I think that while some friendships might only be for a season, there are people that God has brought into our lives for a reason, and it is worth the work to keep them up.

(Friendships are kind of like plants in that way, you need to take care of them and give them time and care to keep them alive. Some will inevitably fade, and that's part of life I suppose, but there are also some that will live and thrive, despite time and distance...they'll thrive.)

Okay...that was a random analogy I just thought of while I was typing...I've been thinking in analogies a lot lately. These pictures keep coming into my head, and I really wish I could draw, because it would be sweet to see them on paper, but I can describe them in words, which is something I suppose!

Well, I haven't written everything that I learned or realized on my trip, but the bottom line is that the trip was very purposeful, and while I might not have known it going in, I know now that God had me there for a reason and every conversation I had was for a reason...I might be sure exactly what it is yet, but I do know that God is doing something in me and I'm excited to see what that something is!

Enviro Overload

This semester I'm taking a class called "Contemporary Environmental Issues," and while the stuff we read and talk about in class is very interesting, it can also be very discouraging because we're learning all about all the things that we as a global population are doing to destroy our planet. After a while it can definitely get a little wearing. I mean, there comes a point when you read about all these chemicals we're releasing, and we don't know exactly what they are doing to the environment, and you wonder, Is there really anything I can do that will make even a minute difference in all of this??? I wonder if my individual actions, whether it be not buying things with harmful chemicals in them or buying "green" food, does it really make that much of a difference? But then on the other side, I think, well if everyone thinks like I do, we're really in trouble. I guess what it really comes down to is realizing that knowledge really is power and I need to be responsible enough to use the knowledge I have to not only change the way I interact with my environment, but to also try to educate people I interact with. Not in a preachy way, but I now that I know all of this stuff, I can't help but take it all into consideration when I go shopping, and I want my family to know these things too. Because I care about not only their safety and well-being, but I also want to do my absolute best to make sure that this world is taken care of for my children and other future generations.

So I guess it all comes down to realizing that it's going to be somewhat of a downer to learn about this stuff, but in the end, its necessary and vital to the future.

Working hard to Play hard

I think that more than any year before, this school year has taught me the value and truth in the idea that we work hard now so we can play hard later. In the next two weeks, I have an obnoxious amount of studying/work to do, but its all leading up to my much-anticipated trip to DC for my Spring Break. In the past, I would probably be spending more time stressing about all the work and complaining that it's ruling my life, but right now, its not as much of a burden as it is something to occupy my time until I leave! One of the nicest things about all of this work is that its taking my mind off counting down the days until I finally get to go see all of my friends. This work that I'm doing is for a very specific purpose, and it's actually not as burdensome as I thought it would be. Whenever I have a lot to do, I like to write out what needs to be done, so right next to me is a schedule of the work that needs to be done between now and the 19th. I wrote it out and it is presently taped to my desk, and whenever I finish a task, I get to cross it out, and that is one of the greatest feelings ever, let me tell you! I am here to be in school, and I am actually enjoying the work that I'm doing!!! It is such a blessing to be working toward a goal and to be enjoying the work done along the way!