"Till I Entered the Sanctuary of God"

Yes, I am one of those who now has a Formspring.me account. Formspring.me is a website that allows (with different available options for privacy) others to ask questions, anonymously or with their name attached. At first, when I noticed my roommate had one, I thought it was just a silly way of asking silly questions, and so far most of the profiles I've seen have been fun and silly, maybe a sarcastic remark here or there. After a while, I found a few more friends using the site and decided to create my own. It's turned out that the questions I get aren't as silly and carefree as I was expecting. In fact, this very post is inspired by a question I just finished answering about an hour ago.

After I responded to the particular question (with much meditation and carefully chosen words of course for excruciating clarity), I couldn't help but wonder about the response that I am and have been getting through this opportunity for people to bring up issues with me anonymously. Each time I receive a question or comment of that particular sort, I'm initially shocked and slightly hurt, and then almost immediately I smile. I smile because I am offending people with Christ. I smile because I have not allowed myself to become watered down, but, on the contrary, more saturated in Christ than before. I smile because others notice God when I'm around. This is not meant to build me up, to say what a good Christian I am, but to encourage others, you, myself.

It may be hard, lonely (from the social perspective), challenging, discouraging, and all sorts of other not fun things to be a follower of Christ who not only follows but adores and reflects Him. My latest (re)discovery is Psalm 73, and it is a very refreshing Psalm to read. The Psalmist starts out talking about the prosperity of the wicked, "This is what the wicked are like- always carefree, they increase in wealth" in verse 12. But after 14 verses of ranting about how good the "bad" people have it and about all the trouble he has gone to in staying faithful ("Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning."), he remembers God and how the whole story ends! He spends the next 14 verses praising God and reminding himself that his efforts to follow God faithfully and wholeheartedly are not in vain! "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.... But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." It is a fascinating Psalm and story, and upon every reading, I cannot help but be excited and encouraged and absolutely enthralled with my God! I challenge you to read Psalm 73and let God work in you because of it.

Capturing Life

I've decided in my own mind that I love people. I find such great joy in framing moments of excitement, passion, worry, laughter, confusion, or humor in a photograph. I think it's because God has given me a passion for His children, and I enjoy watching them, us. Because I see God's beauty in random little moments or places, I want others to see it too- although, of course, people rarely see what I see.

I've also decided that I might put some of my best photography up in my dorm room next year, which requires me sorting through all of the pictures I've taken and picking out the best ones, the pictures that make me smile the instant I see them or that seem to capture exactly what I understood or saw at the time it was taken. Looking through my pictures was such fun, especially considering the thousands that I have from my summer missions over the years.

But the last thing that I decided was that I would post them here. In part, I want to do this so that I can feel productive having another post. The other part is that I feel like since I want others to have a chance to see what I've seen and enjoyed, this is probably a good place for them. :)

Procrastination...

Here I am on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, not reading under a tree or playing frisbee at Winthrop lake, but staring at a computer screen. I have run errands today, and I did take a lovely walk this morning, but I find myself going over and over a checklist of assignments I have to complete this weekend. I put off doing these assignments because I wanted to do those things that I am not doing now. I went out with friends, I had adventures, I enjoyed the weather outdoors. So do I have a right to complain about not being able to do those things now? No, not really. Yet, here I am, still avoiding the work I have to do, even though the trade-off is even worse than before. I'm not even outside or doing anything fun. I'm sitting here, in the same place as where I should be writing papers, not writing papers. It's quite sad really. I justified writing this post by convincing myself that I need something new, something other than my old mission trip posts, on this blog. But we all know that it's waited this long, one or two more days couldn't possibly have hurt.

I can't help but think that I am not the only procrastinator in the world, and I know that doesn't make it okay, but my point is that we all procrastinate. Fortunately for me, I procrastinate from doing schoolwork. I say fortunately because others avoid more pressing things- like their own health, or improving their lifestyles or habits, or salvation. Eh, it can wait another day or two. Or maybe a few months. I'll do it after I'm done with all the fun stuff. I don't feel like it right now, so I'll get to it later. Guess what, people? It's later. So I'm going to go write my papers, and then I'm going to take care of the other things on my to-do list. And maybe then, once those pressing things are accomplished, I'll get back to this whole blogging thing.