Get ready for the most unorganized entry you will ever have the misfortune of reading in your boredom. Actually, this should be the standard for me. Back in eighth grade or something the constant criticism for my papers was "lack of transitions." I am proud to say that 6 years later, I still refuse to use them. Call me an aspiring James Joyce. Really, I'm just lazy. But anyway. I should get to my point(s).
God's grace and love are undeniable. This week has been speckled with little bits of joy and simple reminders of important truths-- all in the midst of what was overall a pretty bad week for me. I haven't had a bad week in maybe months, but this week was bad-- spiritually, academically, emotionally, relationally. But today was great. It's Resurrection Sunday and one of my friends got baptized. I remember riding our bikes together one day and getting to talk a little bit about our faith. She was telling me about how she was kind of falling away because of everything going on around her-- especially at our high school. Non-Christians were prospering by all the standards we've been brainwashed to regard. And Christians were being unchristian. It's easy to look at people and not want to believe in Christianity. After all, being a Christian is costly. But in my friend's testimony, I could sense that she discovered for herself that once you experience the love and grace of God, there is no denying it. Just as Jesus endured the cross for the sake of the joy set before him, we can endure hardships in this life by fixing our eyes not on what is seen but unseen.
Spiritual families are priceless. One of the traditions that I really like about MCCC is that families or friends are encouraged to partake in communion together-- to pray together and eat and drink together. I saw a group of high schoolers go up together and I saw my friend and her parents praying together. I can't really put my finger on it, but for some reason I really enjoy seeing that, though at the same time I feel a little sad because my family has never gone with me and even if they did I get the feeling we wouldn't go up as a family. We haven't done anything like that together since I was a little kid, and even then it didn't really count because I was just obeying my parents.
Every personal story of God's transforming grace carries life-changing power. This is something I really needed reminding of, as I've been procrastinating on the part of my training packet that tells me I'm supposed to write out my testimony. And my friend told me how she felt that her testimony wasn't that great. She didn't start off as some drug-lord/gang banger and then suddenly come to know Christ and miraculously become a saint. Her testimony is of an ordinary person (and I mean that in the best way possible) experiencing something absolutely extraordinary. And as I read her testimony, I realized it's not about our words but about the central truth upon which all else is based.
I think there was something else, but the day I turned 20 my senility multiplied tenfold.
P.S. One of my favorite songs right now is "In Christ Alone." God wins.
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