Some Thoughts

One of my cousins, Joanna, recently moved to Washington D.C. to begin a year of service with Bread for the City.  She started a blog to keep family and friends updated about her experiences, and today posted parts of a letter she had written to herself several months ago, before beginning this new adventure.  Part of it really struck me – “You’ll use your gifts in other ways- as an advocate, a voice.  A person with a conscience, nagging.  I hope it’s still nagging.  I hope you have not planned your life out.”

I love that she hopes things are still nagging her, and that she has not planned out her whole life.  So often these days, it seems we’re expected to know everything, not only about our present, but about our future as well.  Where we’ll go to college, what we’ll study, what occupation we’ll have upon graduation, etc.  But Jo is intentionally leaving space open in her life for the nagging.  For the issues that come up – big or small - on which she wants to focus her attention.  For the people and places in our world that need her voice and advocacy today – that may not have needed her attention yesterday.

I love to plan, and I do believe that having some kind of plan in our life is a good thing.  But I am glad that Jo reminded me to leave space open for the nagging.  To follow my heart and my conscience when someone or something needs my attention.  To allow myself to follow God’s call, wherever that may lead.

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

A good friend of mine is moving to Ireland next month to go to grad school.  This weekend, we had a going away camping trip for her.  The campsite was about a three-quarter mile walk from the car, so I tried to pack very lightly, knowing that I would have to carry my gear from the car to the site.  As I packed in the 90 degree San Rafael weather, I decided not to bring my heavy coat, gloves, or hat, because it was so warm.

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into the parking lot in the Marin Headlands, and all we could see was a heavy layer of fog.  No sun as far as the eye could see!  I immediately knew my wardrobe of shorts and t-shirt was not going to serve me well.  As the night wore on, it got colder and colder.  I put on my sweat pants and sweat shirt and borrowed a fleece from a friend, but still, it got colder and colder.  No fires were allowed at the campsite, so it continued to get colder and colder.  At bedtime, I crawled into my sleeping bag, but that one layer didn’t help much as I got colder and colder.  I was a human icicle throughout most of the night.

Looking back on the trip, however, the cold is not the first thing that springs to mind.  When my family asked me how the trip was, my immediate response was, “Great!  So much fun!”  I didn’t think first about the cold, because the weather was not the most important part of the weekend.  What made the weekend great was spending time with old and new friends.  Sharing laughter and stories, cooking and eating together, learning new games, taking a hike to the beach.  We were together, cherishing the time spent in community, remembering old memories and creating new ones.  Appreciating the past and anticipating an unknown future.  Supporting each other in our pain and rejoicing in our celebrations.  I was keenly aware of the presence of God all weekend, made known in the presence of my friends.  How was God present in your life this weekend?

“A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.”  Proverbs 17:17

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend my friend’s college graduation.  It was a wonderful event, filled with proud graduates and even prouder family and friends.  What made it even more special was that my friend is not in her twenties – the usual age of a college graduate – but in her thirties.  She had attended college when she was younger, but due to a variety of circumstances, never finished.  She had, however, always wanted to get her BA degree, so finally she decided it was time to go back to school.  So, while working a full-time job, and many years removed from attending classes and writing papers, she finished up the units she needed to earn her degree.

I couldn’t help but be inspired by her graduation last night.  How many times do we have a goal that seems just too hard to reach, so we never even try?  How many times do we wish we could do something, but just don’t think we can, so we end up settling for something else?  My friend is truly an inspiriation to me, living proof that nothing is ever out of reach.  May we all set our goals high, knowing that we are certainly capable of attaining them.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”  Luke 1:37

We had a great class yesterday morning where we looked at the variety of ways that God is described in the Psalms.  Here are some of the words that were on our list:

Forgiving, helping, protecting, gracious, compassionate, strength, refuge, powerful, loving, sharing, motivating, creating . . .

All of these, and more, and we just barely broke the surface of the Psalms!  It was interesting to see, not only the variety of ways God was described, but how the people in the class felt about each of the words.  Some had strong personal experiences of God as strong and powerful, while others related much more to God as a helper or protector.  For each of the ten people in the class, there were ten different “best” ways to describe God.

What words would you use to describe God?  How do you experience the presence of God in your life?  How about those closest to you – your friends and family?  Do you know how they would describe God?  If not, have a conversation about it this week.  Perhaps you’ll find out something new about their faith, or about yours!