"Hakuna Matata"
I cannot believe that it is already almost March - two months of 2013 are in the books which blows my mind! This semester is really busy, as expected, but it has also already been so full of blessings. Since my schedule isn't filled with nighttime science labs I have finally been able to join a small group at the Wesley foundation and do fun things around campus throughout the week. Praise the Lord for less general science labs and more classes in my major that interest me!
Small confession - I am a worrier to the extreme - I try not to be but that doesn't always work out super well for me. I genuinely think I can find the most ridiculous things to worry about; what would seem to most like a carefree situation I could probably think of some detail to stress over. This has been a consistent habit of mine over the years and I think it is exacerbated by my type A, left-brained personality. Worry is down right an epidemic in our society, and I think we have many valid concerns but the problem comes down to our perspective.
We live in an imperfect world where brokenness and oppression are all too real and ubiquitous. There are so many divisions in our society and so much hate and bitterness - much of which comes from misunderstanding or the breakdown of communication. As a soft-hearted person, seeing all the hurt and pain in the lives of people around me breaks my heart and ignites my desire to fix things. The only problem is, in and of myself, I cannot solve these problems - only Jesus can truly restore wholeness. I don't think this means that I shouldn't actively pursue building God's Kingdom on earth, I just think it means that I should not hold on to them and try to be in control.
When I try to solve problems by myself, whether my own or those of others,I start to worry. I am worrying because I am trying to do something I was never created to do - God did not create us to carry burdens on our own. He created us to surrender our burdens to Him and rest in His strong arms that are able to save. One of my favorite quotes in the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World is:
As a huge home-body I am trying to learn how to cherish and treasure the times I have at home with my family while still engaging and investing in my relationships at school. As hard as it is for me to believe, I am already a Junior and I have just over a year left at Appalachian. I am determined to embrace all the unique, crazy, and spontaneous opportunities I have so that I can graduate knowing full well that I have lived my college years to the fullest. This might mean staying up a little later than I should, procrastinating on that assignment more than I ought to, or one too many late nights in the library...but college isn't just about a degree, or my grades, or even my grade point average. College, and life really, is about relationships and creating memories with the people you love above any of the business, task-based responsibilities we have. I am called to be a student and I work hard and strive to do that well - but my heart is with people and my friends and family. My degree is just another step in pursuing my passions in life and living in a way that helps me become more of the person I was created to be. Here's to letting go of my worries and just being happy and free to rejoice in all the joys of being a student, friend, and daughter. The possibilities are endless when we let go and step into the freedom of surrender - so I will strive to loosen the death-grip on my to-do list and stop incessantly checking my planner and just live in the moment, living fully, laughing loudly, and loving deeply.
Small confession - I am a worrier to the extreme - I try not to be but that doesn't always work out super well for me. I genuinely think I can find the most ridiculous things to worry about; what would seem to most like a carefree situation I could probably think of some detail to stress over. This has been a consistent habit of mine over the years and I think it is exacerbated by my type A, left-brained personality. Worry is down right an epidemic in our society, and I think we have many valid concerns but the problem comes down to our perspective.
We live in an imperfect world where brokenness and oppression are all too real and ubiquitous. There are so many divisions in our society and so much hate and bitterness - much of which comes from misunderstanding or the breakdown of communication. As a soft-hearted person, seeing all the hurt and pain in the lives of people around me breaks my heart and ignites my desire to fix things. The only problem is, in and of myself, I cannot solve these problems - only Jesus can truly restore wholeness. I don't think this means that I shouldn't actively pursue building God's Kingdom on earth, I just think it means that I should not hold on to them and try to be in control.
When I try to solve problems by myself, whether my own or those of others,I start to worry. I am worrying because I am trying to do something I was never created to do - God did not create us to carry burdens on our own. He created us to surrender our burdens to Him and rest in His strong arms that are able to save. One of my favorite quotes in the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World is:
"That's the reason we can leave our worry behind - not because there's nothing to be concerned about, but because we have Someone who can handle them a lot better than we can."In my day-to-day life there are so many valid things to be concerned about, but I can't hold on to them and try to control and micromanage every detail of my life. This kind of worrying will just cripple my ability to appreciate and enjoy the Lord's blessings in my life on a moment by moment basis. I need to be intentional about fully being where I am - not becoming overly preoccupied by my to-do list, other plans, or even exciting things in the future. I want to take full advantage of my current time and place and appreciate how the Lord is at work exactly where I am, not where I might wish I could be.
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| Sweet carefree joys of Freshman year...from top left working down to bottom right, the time my roomie and I slept outside in hammocks for a week, parkway adventure, chacos in the snow, the INFAMOUS food box, late night pj pics, that time I made my bed into a fort, snuggie while driving on road trip, roomie (who hates coffee) tried chocolate covered espresso bean, and sleeping outside take 2 (check out that chaco tan!) |
"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase..."
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