Every once in a while, I am able to get a glimpse into my potential future...
...and it's exciting :)
— Reminds me that life is short and that I should enjoy the opportunities I have to learn, laugh, live, and love.
Psalm 16
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
my ex-neighbor-turned-bffl totoro
Surprise!
It has been exactly 3 years since I came to the realization that my freshman year neighbor Totoro (aka the wonderful, beautiful, mega-watt blessing Qstine Li) was an amazing person who loves me and helps me to become a better person everyday (you know, in addition to Jesus and all.)
As an eager beaver 18-year-old, I wrote the following:
I am pretty excited about our King of Prussia trip on Saturday. It's going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about the next four years to come (plus more.) They're going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about our growth as friends, as hall/roommates, as people, as sisters in Christ. We're going to be freakin' amazing.
Flash forward to the present. This upcoming Saturday, we will be going to servants meeting and celebrating a fellow 2012 sister's birthday. The next four years from today are rather uncertain for both of us, but we're trusting that God will lead us exactly where we need to be (but hopefully less than 3 hours driving distance from one another). Our growth as friends, as hall/roommates (which sadly ended after our sophomore year), as people, as sisters in Christ has been anything but easy, but oh-so-full of grace and love nevertheless.
When I look back at the last three years, I am suddenly flooded with a ton of memories and emotions that are so overwhelming that I feel my eyes prickling with moisture (ahemisupposetheyaretears) and I feel a lump in my throat that thankfully does not keep me from typing properly, though I'm sure it would keep me from speaking properly in person. Yes, we've shared many meals and prayers and Meyerson study/"study" times and Penn Chamber rehearsals and short walks from point A to point B. We have gushed over the cuteness of our family groups, laughed uncontrollably over silly things, fawned over Brooke Fraser's absolute girl-crush-worthiness, taken a ton of photos, and "liked" one too many things on Facebook. But we've also disagreed on a handful of things, failed to understand one another and reach out to one another, and gotten too tired or too busy to truly care.
You see, at the end of the day, we are two broken people who believe in a perfect Savior who came to put the pieces back together. Apart from Him, this friendship is nothing too extraordinary. Has it been 20+ years since we've been best friends? No. Have we been forced to maintain a friendship from opposite sides of the globe? No. Has either one of us had to take a bullet for the other? No. (Though I think we would if we had to...? :P) But there is something untouchably amazing about this bond — and it's because Christ is at the center. Aaaaand I guess we still got some of that A-town swag.
So, what to say, Miss Chipmunk? I am so very thankful that you are in my life, and I can't wait to see how God continues to grow us individually and collectively, as super coolio counterparts, for the next few decades until we see Him face to face and THEN we can really have the most epic dance party where we don't have to eventually stop to finish homework or sleep. I ♥ you :)
It has been exactly 3 years since I came to the realization that my freshman year neighbor Totoro (aka the wonderful, beautiful, mega-watt blessing Qstine Li) was an amazing person who loves me and helps me to become a better person everyday (you know, in addition to Jesus and all.)
As an eager beaver 18-year-old, I wrote the following:
I am pretty excited about our King of Prussia trip on Saturday. It's going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about the next four years to come (plus more.) They're going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about our growth as friends, as hall/roommates, as people, as sisters in Christ. We're going to be freakin' amazing.
Flash forward to the present. This upcoming Saturday, we will be going to servants meeting and celebrating a fellow 2012 sister's birthday. The next four years from today are rather uncertain for both of us, but we're trusting that God will lead us exactly where we need to be (but hopefully less than 3 hours driving distance from one another). Our growth as friends, as hall/roommates (which sadly ended after our sophomore year), as people, as sisters in Christ has been anything but easy, but oh-so-full of grace and love nevertheless.
When I look back at the last three years, I am suddenly flooded with a ton of memories and emotions that are so overwhelming that I feel my eyes prickling with moisture (ahemisupposetheyaretears) and I feel a lump in my throat that thankfully does not keep me from typing properly, though I'm sure it would keep me from speaking properly in person. Yes, we've shared many meals and prayers and Meyerson study/"study" times and Penn Chamber rehearsals and short walks from point A to point B. We have gushed over the cuteness of our family groups, laughed uncontrollably over silly things, fawned over Brooke Fraser's absolute girl-crush-worthiness, taken a ton of photos, and "liked" one too many things on Facebook. But we've also disagreed on a handful of things, failed to understand one another and reach out to one another, and gotten too tired or too busy to truly care.
You see, at the end of the day, we are two broken people who believe in a perfect Savior who came to put the pieces back together. Apart from Him, this friendship is nothing too extraordinary. Has it been 20+ years since we've been best friends? No. Have we been forced to maintain a friendship from opposite sides of the globe? No. Has either one of us had to take a bullet for the other? No. (Though I think we would if we had to...? :P) But there is something untouchably amazing about this bond — and it's because Christ is at the center. Aaaaand I guess we still got some of that A-town swag.
So, what to say, Miss Chipmunk? I am so very thankful that you are in my life, and I can't wait to see how God continues to grow us individually and collectively, as super coolio counterparts, for the next few decades until we see Him face to face and THEN we can really have the most epic dance party where we don't have to eventually stop to finish homework or sleep. I ♥ you :)
Friday, November 11, 2011
epic team
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a, 12)
Thank You, Lord.
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a, 12)
Thank You, Lord.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
words of affirmation ("you matter")
"I like talking to you."
"I prayed for you today."
"What are you doing later/tomorrow?"/"Let's do (insert activity here)."
"Thanks for being an encouragement to me."
"You are beautiful."
"God loves you...so very much!"
"I prayed for you today."
"What are you doing later/tomorrow?"/"Let's do (insert activity here)."
"Thanks for being an encouragement to me."
"You are beautiful."
"God loves you...so very much!"
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
post-postmarked
I had the oddest dream last night:
I was at a buffet banquet with a lot of people, and we were instructed that at the end of the meal, we should squeeze out the juice from our leftovers into a collection bin that would then be used to feed the poor. Many people ate and followed this order, but obviously, many others (including myself) were aghast at this instruction and began to take whole plates from the buffet lines to place aside and give away. Somewhere along this process, I got into an argument with someone who refused to give up two large bowls of salad and I started yelling at him (a bit tangentially) about what it meant to be reconciled to one another the way Christ died for us to be reconciled to God the Father...which then turned into a full-out argument between two churches (because apparently the banquet was hosted by the church(es)? ...) And then after the argument passed and we cleaned up the venue, I got an email from my BFFL telling me to calm down and to not argue.
And then I woke up.
I got ready for service, putting on a new dress I bought during Fall Break, and then read the Word as I ate breakfast. I re-read 1 Timothy 2 and came upon verses 9-10:
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
Not only did I suddenly feel self-conscious in my garb, but the phrase "with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God" struck me profoundly as I pondered my character and how I go about my days. In my volunteer work, in my ministries, in my classes, in my interactions with strangers on the street. I profess to worship God — do my actions reflect that?
My attention was then brought to verse 4, about how God "wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Do I want what God wants?
And then I went to church.
The China missions presentation moved me to near tears, and I found myself wondering if this was going to be just another swell of "oh, that's so awesome how God is working through them and in the lives of those they met and even those they did not...but it's not for me." Flashes of memories from my freshman year family group, conversations with my leaders throughout the years...where was my heart hurtling toward?
P. Dave from Passion told us that what happens in the next 10 minutes after a certain conviction determines whether that conviction will go from conviction to execution. Though I somewhat acted today upon the stirrings of my heart, how much further can I — or will I — go? What does God want to show me?
Do I want what He wants?
I was at a buffet banquet with a lot of people, and we were instructed that at the end of the meal, we should squeeze out the juice from our leftovers into a collection bin that would then be used to feed the poor. Many people ate and followed this order, but obviously, many others (including myself) were aghast at this instruction and began to take whole plates from the buffet lines to place aside and give away. Somewhere along this process, I got into an argument with someone who refused to give up two large bowls of salad and I started yelling at him (a bit tangentially) about what it meant to be reconciled to one another the way Christ died for us to be reconciled to God the Father...which then turned into a full-out argument between two churches (because apparently the banquet was hosted by the church(es)? ...) And then after the argument passed and we cleaned up the venue, I got an email from my BFFL telling me to calm down and to not argue.
And then I woke up.
I got ready for service, putting on a new dress I bought during Fall Break, and then read the Word as I ate breakfast. I re-read 1 Timothy 2 and came upon verses 9-10:
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
Not only did I suddenly feel self-conscious in my garb, but the phrase "with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God" struck me profoundly as I pondered my character and how I go about my days. In my volunteer work, in my ministries, in my classes, in my interactions with strangers on the street. I profess to worship God — do my actions reflect that?
My attention was then brought to verse 4, about how God "wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Do I want what God wants?
And then I went to church.
The China missions presentation moved me to near tears, and I found myself wondering if this was going to be just another swell of "oh, that's so awesome how God is working through them and in the lives of those they met and even those they did not...but it's not for me." Flashes of memories from my freshman year family group, conversations with my leaders throughout the years...where was my heart hurtling toward?
P. Dave from Passion told us that what happens in the next 10 minutes after a certain conviction determines whether that conviction will go from conviction to execution. Though I somewhat acted today upon the stirrings of my heart, how much further can I — or will I — go? What does God want to show me?
Do I want what He wants?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
what a tiny little stye can reveal...
It has been a strange past few days, and I have encountered an issue I never thought I would encounter.
I got a stye on my right eye over the weekend, and as much as I tried to ignore it on Saturday morning, by Saturday evening it was telling me, NO I AM HERE AND I AM GOING TO BOTHER YOU UNTIL YOU PRAY ME AWAY. Or at least, that's what I felt like it was telling me. (._. I'm not crazy, I promise...)
So since then, I have been wearing my thick thick thick (I'm practically blind) black-rimmed glasses and abstaining from eyeliner, which surprisingly has made me more self-conscious than I would have ever expected. It was kind of nice at first to be able to rest my eyes, since my contacts were drying out faster than usual and I could just nap without having to worry about whether I would damage my eyes from falling asleep with my contacts in. But then, my skin started to break out like crazy over the last 36 hours and today I kept feeling like in addition to looking tired, I also looked (currently look) super disheveled and unkempt and...rather un-pretty.
Which is STRANGE, because I tend not to worry about things like this, but man. God is teaching me a lesson at an unexpected (but not unwelcome!) time.
I am reminded that my worth is not determined by outward appearances, that I can still be used even when I am not looking my best — praise God that true beauty is found in faith and character!
I got a stye on my right eye over the weekend, and as much as I tried to ignore it on Saturday morning, by Saturday evening it was telling me, NO I AM HERE AND I AM GOING TO BOTHER YOU UNTIL YOU PRAY ME AWAY. Or at least, that's what I felt like it was telling me. (._. I'm not crazy, I promise...)
So since then, I have been wearing my thick thick thick (I'm practically blind) black-rimmed glasses and abstaining from eyeliner, which surprisingly has made me more self-conscious than I would have ever expected. It was kind of nice at first to be able to rest my eyes, since my contacts were drying out faster than usual and I could just nap without having to worry about whether I would damage my eyes from falling asleep with my contacts in. But then, my skin started to break out like crazy over the last 36 hours and today I kept feeling like in addition to looking tired, I also looked (currently look) super disheveled and unkempt and...rather un-pretty.
Which is STRANGE, because I tend not to worry about things like this, but man. God is teaching me a lesson at an unexpected (but not unwelcome!) time.
I am reminded that my worth is not determined by outward appearances, that I can still be used even when I am not looking my best — praise God that true beauty is found in faith and character!
1 Peter 3:3-5a: Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
Proverbs 31:30: Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Monday, October 24, 2011
put your money where your mouth is
"You got faith?"
"Yes."
"You believe I am Sovereign?"
"Yes."
"You believe that I love you?"
"Yes."
"Then show me."
"How, Lord?"
"Be still, and know that I am God."
"Yes."
"You believe I am Sovereign?"
"Yes."
"You believe that I love you?"
"Yes."
"Then show me."
"How, Lord?"
"Be still, and know that I am God."
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