Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Thank You

Tonight, I would just like to take the time to acknowledge the services (or lack thereof) of a few groups of people. First of all, I would like to thank custodial and the Bob Jones design team for the beautiful job they have done and continue to do on the Fine Arts bathroom floors. They are a soothing pattern, and they are relatively clean and shiny. They are cool to the touch, which is a good thing when you find yourself curled up in the fetal position for an hour and a half. ^_^ Also, I would like to thank the many young women who passed through the second floor bathroom today and gave plenty of space and silence to the girl in the corner. I'm sure they were too concerned they would break my concentration to come and ask if I were in need of assistance. There was one girl, however, who did venture to inquire as to my current state. Having done her good deed and hearing my answer of, "Ibuprofen......please..." she hurried off to her next class. I'm sure an extremely pale, sweaty, shivering female scrunched on the bathroom floor probably doesn't look like a warm and fuzzy interaction, but there was one girl who eventually heard me and went to get a GA. This GA was so nice! She managed to get some water, ibuprofen (which I couldn't take as I had managed to relocate myself by a great porcelain throne from nausea caused by pain), and supervision while I lay there. In the pauses between my stomach trying to tear itself apart, I managed to find out her name and a bit about herself. I even cracked a joke! :-D Eventually the pain subsided enough for me to relocate once again to the sofa in her office where I was VERY thankful for a comfy couch and a nice fleecy blanket to sleep off the rest of this "episode". At around 11:40, she woke me up and told me the time. I managed to apologize and thank her then headed off to my next class. No one should miss History of Civ. lecture! Next, I am thankful for my group of friends in the Snack Shop who unknowingly provided me with some much needed sustenance of half of a nutella and peanut butter bagel. With the use of one of their laptops, I was able to complete my English homework in time for the tutorial that followed my break. A nap seemed good, and I am so very thankful for the inventor of the alarm clock. It woke me up to tell me it was time for work. I arrived two hours late, however, but I am thankful for an amazing and supportive department who helped me make amends. God bless the crickets...^_^ He painted the sky wonderfully today. It was filled with all sorts of puffy clouds in varying shades of white and grey. Thank God for beautiful music, humour, and the ability to learn. Thank God for the ability to walk and talk without pain. Praise Him for making me a female even if it seems unfortunate at the time. ;-) PRAISE GOD! *_*

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."     -Psalm 139:14 <3

Saturday, September 4, 2010

"I'll Love You Forever!"

I'm a girl.

No really...I am. Why are you laughing...? Think about it. I say this, because sometimes I do stupid girl things, and then I write about it on my blog. :-P I was wondering today if any of you (the people who actually read this) have ever been in an abusive relationship. Before you answer, though, I would like to point out that you can be verbally, mentally, and emotionally abused as well as physically. Have you ever found yourself in a relationship (whether it be romantic, friendly, or familial [man I hope that's a real word...]) where you give every bit of strength you have to remain loyal, helpful, and amusing, yet problem after problem arose where you were the bad guy and the other the victim? Why is it that some people attach themselves so strongly to everyone, even when they know that they will never receive even close to the amount of "love" they have given? For so long, I have wondered if they were wrong to do this, or if it is "just the way they are". Let me post two passages that always seem to give me a hard time whenever I think this way. The one in Proverbs is contextually referring to the "forbidden woman", but verses ten and eleven seem to be applicable to more than that. Please, tell me if I'm erring there.

Proverbs 5:7-17

"And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, "How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation." Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you."

This is talking more about a marital thing, but does it not also apply to the emotions and mentality that go along with it? I know for a fact that you can be married to someone all but physically. It's been proven to me. This seems to suggest to me that there is a point at which you stop giving. I am confused at this, however. Where is that point? If someone treats you wrongly, the common attitude today is one of "Oh, let it go. If they are going to treat me badly, I'm not going to stick around. I don't care any more." I agree with the not sticking around part, but aren't we to still care? Maybe I'm confused about the different types of love? It seems to me, however, that if you love your neighbor as yourself, there shouldn't be much of a difference between the self-denying love in a marriage and the self-sacrificing love in a friend. Is there ever a point where we are not to love or SHOW love to someone?? This brings up another passage in my mind.

I Corinthians 13:1-8a
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love. I am a noisy gong, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.***Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love BEARS all things, BELIEVES all things, HOPES all things, ENDURES all things. LOVE NEVER ENDS.***

Half the people I've talked to say it is wrong to wear your heart on your sleeve, and that one must have discretion. I believe they are right about discretion, but I cannot stand "fakeness". Why can't someone "wear their heart on their sleeve?" I don't mean going around constantly yapping about what you believe (Proverbs calls that a fool). I mean when interacting with people, telling them the truth. Not saying everything can be good sometimes, but asking a question you don't genuinely want the answer to, or pretending to be interested in someone when you're not really bugs me. If you have any answers or insight to this rambling post, please post them. It would be greatly appreciated!! Sorry for the length. ^_^

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
-Romans 13:8

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

I'm Hungry!

Everyone has those days where you wake up late, have to rush off without breakfast and start working. Everyone has those days where your work completely swallows you up and makes lunch impossible. Everyone has those days, so everyone should understand how hungry a person can get. They're not starving, granted, but they're pretty stinkin' hungry! Today was one of those days. My thanks goes out to Miss Random Personne who handed me a Nutri-Grain bar to me in eight o'clock General Psychology class. Supper isn't for another hour, and I am having to resist the urge to maliciously decapitate all of Jamie's teddy grahams. <_< This got me thinking, and I was scared to catch myself having a "Sunshine on the Soapsuds" moment.

Everyone has those days where you wake up late and have to rush off without reading their Bible. Everyone has those days where your work completely swallows you up and makes a quiet moment of prayer impossible. Everyone has those days, but many don't understand why they're spiritually malnourished. Many people don't even know how to read the signs.

Honestly, college scared me. It scared me, because I was afraid of failure. Disappointing people will probably always be my biggest fear, and you can ask me why off of here if you would like. It wasn't lack of preparation for the classes that stumped me here, however. Mainly the difficulty has been a social one. Not having anything to say tends to shut down conversations quickly. Having a nuetral countenance tends to bore those of normal teenage attention spans. This led me to wonder what my problem was. On one hand, I know that I'm different than anyone else. On the other, was I really lacking joy? Am I missing something? Guess what I remembered...with all of the worrying, scurrying, etc, I had been reading my Bible, but I had not spent enough time with God. It's so easy to read the bible as a textbook and forget that it's talking about a living, breathing God. He's done so much for me just this past month. He's provided funds, friends, food, and family, yet I still take him for granted. I was still worrying. I was checking off the "to-do" list I was reading every night without talking to and learning from the One who made it. He is patient. He is gracious. He is merciful. He is kind. He knows what lies ahead, and will give me the strength to accomplish the tasks He's given me. Spiritual food isn't just reading and making mental notes. That's like only drinking water every day. We need more. Pray that the Lord will fill me up and nourish my weak spirit, please.

It's always encouraging to hear from others. Feel free to tell me what God's been doing in your life. Post something so that God may be glorified among more people. ^_^

*~FUR~*
Proverbs 31:30



Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."