Wishful Thinking

Sometimes I catch myself thinking "Man I wish I could have lived in that time period or in that place." This is especially true after I watch a movie or read a book. Then it occurred to me that one day people are going to make fancy movies about when and where I am at right now. People are going to wish they were here. So why am I wishing my time away when I can fully experience the here and now?

Bragging Rights

As this semester is getting started I cannot stop thinking about how the last ended. I had some difficult classes, but one definitely stuck out head and shoulders above the rest. I can say that it is by far the most difficult class I have ever encountered. I tried my absolute hardest on every piece of work I turned in for the class and I was still not doing that great going into the final. I prepped my parents for my getting a C in the course and I studied for three whole days. I went over every slide. I read every page of notes. I did all the practice tests. Still the information was not sticking in my brain. I did the math and it was not even mathematically possible to get even an A-; B+ was my highest option. That was if I made a 100 and history revealed the unlikelihood of that. 

Before I left my study cave to take the final, I realized all I could do at that point was pray. Miraculously I never hit panic mode and I just prayed. I remember telling God in the most sincere way I can remember, "God I can't do this. I have tried. If you want this to happen, you are going to have to do it." 

I went through the test and answered all the ones I knew or could make an educated guess on. I looked over the test and still half the questions had no answers. So, then I went through and made slightly less educated guesses on some and then wild guesses on the rest. I even made a joke on one of them because of how far removed the question was from my realm of understanding. 

I walked out of the class knowing I had failed the final and hoped my parents would be okay with that. I waited and waited for the grade to pop up online and it didn't until a couple of hours before the deadline. Much to my surprise, an A was marked. I still cannot fathom how this came to be other than God made it happen. There is no way, absolutely no way I had any hand in making this happen. 

What happened next was even more surprising. I began to share my joy with my friends and family. I would praise God and tell how thankful I was for this blessing. Let me tell you how much more awesome it felt to brag on God than it has ever felt to brag on myself. God is good. Praise the Lord! 

Life's A Dance

One of my favorite things about the Bible is when Jesus tells a parable in order to explain something. It helps me to understand more about the character of God when it is put into terms that I am familiar with. The fact that sheep and shepherding are frequently referenced in the Bible is really cool to me because of growing up and raising sheep. Perhaps, I can relate to the story and draw out more meaning than many of my peers. For that I am thankful.

A comparison that isn't made in a parable but I think can still relate is that of ballroom dancing. I am still relatively new to ballroom but I have noticed some really cool parallels. I see God as a really great dance lead. He is strong and he knows what he is doing. I do not have to worry about where we are going because I trust that he has it under control. In fact, when I do start trying to lead is when the mistakes start cropping up. That half second of distrustful hesitation can lead to trips and collisions. In life and in ballroom some of the most beautiful and memorable moments are when the follower has to trust and give over control to the lead. Take dips or lifts for instance. It is always a flashy, crowd pleasing moment when one of these moves are performed. However, the lady has to place her weight in the arms of her lead. What if he drops her? She remembers being dropped before by other leads. Remembering the moments when this lead has supported her eases her mind. I think it is not too far reaching to compare to God. We have to put our trust in Him and relinquish control to His capable hands. Some of the best moments in life are the ones where we are completely out of control and God is the one making things happen. 

Another thing that comes to mind is the fact that as the lead pulls his lady around the floor, he does not just beckon her to him and then that is the end. They move together around the floor. As we pursue God and he pursues us, we are not striving to a static point. God draws us to a higher and higher level of communion with Him. 

So my last comparison is that in dancing and in life, there are moments where we are closer than other moments. Sometimes, it is part of the plan to be more independent and reach out to the world around us. At other moments, all that is wanted is for us to just stay close, heart to heart. 

Follow God. He will lead you in the way everlasting.  (Psalm 139:24b)