I'm pretty excited about summer. Well, in a way. In one way I don't want summer to come because that means that all of my senior friends will graduate and leave me. I hate thinking about it. They're all going to scatter across the US, maybe even world, getting jobs and doing all sorts of wonderful things. Will they come back and visit? Will we write or call? Maybe we will just have to remember all of the good times and late-night conversations, wondering what they're doing now.
Despite the horrible thought of graduation, I am excited about my summer job. I am going to be a counselor at SkyRanch in Colorado. I will be in charge of seventeen and eighteen-year-old girls. Almost the same age as my little sister. I love teenagers.
I am really excited about getting to work with teenagers again. I'm excited about meeting the people I'll be working with throughout the summer. I'm just excited about working at a camp. I have always wanted to work at a camp, and never have.
I know that it will be tiring and hard. I probably won't sleep very much, and I will be surrounded by people for a majority of the time. I pray for God's strength, patience and wisdom. I also pray that he prepare me for this time. I've never done anything like it before, and it will be intense.
Pray for me, if you think of it.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Simplicity
Simplicity has been coming up so much in my life lately. We've been talking about it in my Capstone (spiritual formations) class as a part of our Social Justice unit. The first week of the Lenten devotional I've been doing focused on simplicity. Now our passion group is going to start discussing simplicity. Also, simplicity has been raised by a group on campus, sparking conversations with people about the topic.
I really do want to make my life more simple. I can see not only how simplicity can benefit me (better focus on God and a less stressful life), but it also can help me be more generous since I'll be spending less money and have more time. It seems that there are two kinds of simplicity, and both are important.
To me, external simplicity seems a lot easier to figure out. Practical ways to implement external simplicity could be slimming down your wardrobe and giving away the extra clothes, walking when you can instead of driving, limiting how much money you spend on coffee or eating out, or even sharing items (a lawnmower, a garden, even a house) with others.
Internal simplicity is a little harder for me to pin down. It seems to me more about removing mental clutter and unnecessary activities from your life. Ways to implement internal simplicity could include being involved in fewer activities, taking time each day to be still and pray, and cutting down on mindless distractions like tv.
I've been thinking a lot about things I can do to live more simply. Of course, clothes is a big issue. I am not an advocate of only having two changes of clothes and never buying anything new, but I do see how the amount of clothes I have border on the ridiculous. I started a new policy recently that I call The Hanger Rule. I will not buy more hangers. If I get more clothes, then I have to get rid of some to make room. This is a start, but I think I do need to pare down my closet some more. I also try to limit how many clothes I buy for full price. If I really need something, I try to shop sales or go to a thrift store.
I also decided that I need to stop snacking when I'm not really hungry. This not a huge problem for me, but I probably do it every one to two weeks or so (depending on the time of year--finals week is a lot more). I convince myself that I am actually hungry when I really don't need food. That habit is not only bad for me healthwise, but it's a big waste of money. I really need to be conscious of when I am actually hungry and when my mouth is just hungry.
Finally, probably the biggest thing I'm learning (and struggling with) is the idea of holding my possessions loosely. Of course, I've heard all my life that my stuff isn't really my stuff but God's stuff and life isn't just about things, but when I think about it, I don't really live like that's what I believe. Some of my things I really don't care about. Like food. I love to share food with people, and I have absolutely no qualms about giving it away. Or even my car. Cars are nice, but I'm not that worried about them. The real thing I struggle with is the funny little things that I get attached to. For example, the other day I had a dinner with a bunch of people and my favorite cup was lost. It sounds silly, but I was rather unhappy that MY favorite cup was lost and I was thinking that I shouldn't have brought it to the dinner. Then I realized that maybe it's good that my cup was lost. I don't want anything, much less a stupid cup, to become so important to me that I consider not even letting others use it. I want to live the reality of God being the true owner of my stuff.
Anyway, these are just a few things that I have been tossing around lately. We'll see how it goes.
I really do want to make my life more simple. I can see not only how simplicity can benefit me (better focus on God and a less stressful life), but it also can help me be more generous since I'll be spending less money and have more time. It seems that there are two kinds of simplicity, and both are important.
To me, external simplicity seems a lot easier to figure out. Practical ways to implement external simplicity could be slimming down your wardrobe and giving away the extra clothes, walking when you can instead of driving, limiting how much money you spend on coffee or eating out, or even sharing items (a lawnmower, a garden, even a house) with others.
Internal simplicity is a little harder for me to pin down. It seems to me more about removing mental clutter and unnecessary activities from your life. Ways to implement internal simplicity could include being involved in fewer activities, taking time each day to be still and pray, and cutting down on mindless distractions like tv.
I've been thinking a lot about things I can do to live more simply. Of course, clothes is a big issue. I am not an advocate of only having two changes of clothes and never buying anything new, but I do see how the amount of clothes I have border on the ridiculous. I started a new policy recently that I call The Hanger Rule. I will not buy more hangers. If I get more clothes, then I have to get rid of some to make room. This is a start, but I think I do need to pare down my closet some more. I also try to limit how many clothes I buy for full price. If I really need something, I try to shop sales or go to a thrift store.
I also decided that I need to stop snacking when I'm not really hungry. This not a huge problem for me, but I probably do it every one to two weeks or so (depending on the time of year--finals week is a lot more). I convince myself that I am actually hungry when I really don't need food. That habit is not only bad for me healthwise, but it's a big waste of money. I really need to be conscious of when I am actually hungry and when my mouth is just hungry.
Finally, probably the biggest thing I'm learning (and struggling with) is the idea of holding my possessions loosely. Of course, I've heard all my life that my stuff isn't really my stuff but God's stuff and life isn't just about things, but when I think about it, I don't really live like that's what I believe. Some of my things I really don't care about. Like food. I love to share food with people, and I have absolutely no qualms about giving it away. Or even my car. Cars are nice, but I'm not that worried about them. The real thing I struggle with is the funny little things that I get attached to. For example, the other day I had a dinner with a bunch of people and my favorite cup was lost. It sounds silly, but I was rather unhappy that MY favorite cup was lost and I was thinking that I shouldn't have brought it to the dinner. Then I realized that maybe it's good that my cup was lost. I don't want anything, much less a stupid cup, to become so important to me that I consider not even letting others use it. I want to live the reality of God being the true owner of my stuff.
Anyway, these are just a few things that I have been tossing around lately. We'll see how it goes.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Life Intentional
I have always liked the idea of having a blog. I have inconsistently kept up a xanga site for a few years, but I would like to do something more. My previous attempts at blogging have all been rather scattered and sporadic. It acted more as an online journal than anything. I would like to be able to use this blog to discuss what I have been thinking about in my life, but maybe in a more organized manner.
I've been thinking that it would be nice to have a blog to write about the many things I have been learning lately. I thought it would be nice to have some kind of a theme (one way to be more organized), but the problem is that my thoughts all seem so different.
A few weeks ago (or was it months) in the Gathering (our school's student chapel), one of my friends spoke on the Intentional Life. She was talking about how important it is to be active in life, not just skating on by. That phrase, intentional living, perfectly describes what I want.
I want to live actively engaged in the (pardon the cliche) beauty and pain of this life. I want to learn more about this wonderful, complex world. I want to know God better and learn how to live my faith. I want to live with my eyes wide open.
I want to live a life intentional.
I've been thinking that it would be nice to have a blog to write about the many things I have been learning lately. I thought it would be nice to have some kind of a theme (one way to be more organized), but the problem is that my thoughts all seem so different.
A few weeks ago (or was it months) in the Gathering (our school's student chapel), one of my friends spoke on the Intentional Life. She was talking about how important it is to be active in life, not just skating on by. That phrase, intentional living, perfectly describes what I want.
I want to live actively engaged in the (pardon the cliche) beauty and pain of this life. I want to learn more about this wonderful, complex world. I want to know God better and learn how to live my faith. I want to live with my eyes wide open.
I want to live a life intentional.
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