In one of my classes today, my professor posed the question: Can any of you really think of a time that you felt purely happy? She continued to say that we usually feel complete happiness when we get our way or accomplish some huge personal obstacle. Of course, I had to raise my hand and share my opinion on the subject. I said something along the lines of "there is so much pressure put on us to achieve out-of-this-world, lofty, sometimes unattainable goals that it's almost impossible for us to feel happy unless we are the one in a million that discovers the cure to cancer or solves a controversial business/national/world problem. We're taught that if we're wrong, do something incorrectly, or, to put it plainly, fail, then we can't be happy. It's just a social norm and cultural idea that we learn at a young age."
In the class after that one, my professor asked everyone to write down a conflict or problem that we were facing in each of our lives. We needed to write down a problem so that we could evaluate, work through, and uncover the causes of the problem. I promise, I did try, but I could not come up with a problem. I ended up choosing a small, trivial issue that I have just come to accept as part of life. I know that I am a compromiser and an accommodating person when it comes to conflict. I want other people to be happy and prefer to accept someone else's idea than fight for my own in order to keep the peace. Yes, if it is an important issue or will have serious consequences for me or someone else, I'll fight for what is right, but otherwise, I'm a people pleaser.
So back to the first question, Can any of you really think of a time that you felt purely happy? Yes, I can. In fact, I have many instances every day where I feel completely happy and content. Just today I felt completely happy when I turned in my OL application, talked to my dear friend for awhile, leisurely went grocery shopping, and took some photos. It's not a matter of if you ever feel happy, but whether or not you appreciate that moments throughout your days that make you smile. Everything in your life doesn't have to be perfect for you to be happy. It's the little things in life that make the difference and learning to embrace and celebrate those have made all the difference in my life. It's amazing how striving to find the positive in every situation can make you so happy that your enthusiasm for life becomes contagious. Who doesn't want to be the joyous person that people want to be around constantly?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Rediscovery
I will be the first to admit that my faith has faltered over the past few months. I felt so close to the Lord at the end of last year and over the summer, but now, as I fill out applications for jobs where I would serve and help others, I feel lost. I reach for God's word and feel distracted and disconnected. Yet, even with this feeling of detachment, I still believe with my whole heart that the Lord has a plan for my life and he is watching over me. We all go through these times of unrest and confusion; we feel more distant from the Lord, but somehow we always find a way back.
For me, I am strengthening my relationship with the Lord by rereading A Voice In The Wind. Call me crazy that a book can help me rediscover my immense faith, but I truly believe that it can. The book is set about 40 years after Christ died and rose from the dead, so Christianity is still very much in its infancy. Hadassah, the main character, watches as her family dies, suffers as she is enslaved, and serves diligently to Romans who believe in stone gods. She prays for the people that threw her into slavery and truly believes that she was put in the lives of these Romans to serve them and bring Christ to their lives. In the book, she just visited the Apostle John, who walked with Christ and knew him as he was in the flesh. She asked John who she could make her masters understand and come to Christ. John said that even with Jesus standing right in from of him, he still didn't understand who he was or what he said. He struggled in grasping the mightiness and unfaltering love that Jesus extended to him.
I know that it is just a book, but these passages give me understanding and conviction in the Lord's presence in my life. We all, even John, stumble, fall, and don't understand the plans that God has for us. When I think of my life thus far, I am humbled. I have had a life of abundant blessings and I am so thankful for the Lord walking with me even when I don't realize He's holding my hand. I am in the process of completing applications for many positions that call me to nurture and serve my university. I feel such a strong pull to these positions that it is almost unnatural. I took me until this morning to realize that my desire to help others isn't to satisfy my own needs, but to serve the Lord by serving others. God wants to touch these people and I have the opportunity to be that link. It's a humbling feeling. I don't know how I became so blessed, but I won't let these opportunities pass. I am so excited to serve others to thus serve God. I will forever be amazed by His plans for my life. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me." (John 14:1)
For me, I am strengthening my relationship with the Lord by rereading A Voice In The Wind. Call me crazy that a book can help me rediscover my immense faith, but I truly believe that it can. The book is set about 40 years after Christ died and rose from the dead, so Christianity is still very much in its infancy. Hadassah, the main character, watches as her family dies, suffers as she is enslaved, and serves diligently to Romans who believe in stone gods. She prays for the people that threw her into slavery and truly believes that she was put in the lives of these Romans to serve them and bring Christ to their lives. In the book, she just visited the Apostle John, who walked with Christ and knew him as he was in the flesh. She asked John who she could make her masters understand and come to Christ. John said that even with Jesus standing right in from of him, he still didn't understand who he was or what he said. He struggled in grasping the mightiness and unfaltering love that Jesus extended to him.
I know that it is just a book, but these passages give me understanding and conviction in the Lord's presence in my life. We all, even John, stumble, fall, and don't understand the plans that God has for us. When I think of my life thus far, I am humbled. I have had a life of abundant blessings and I am so thankful for the Lord walking with me even when I don't realize He's holding my hand. I am in the process of completing applications for many positions that call me to nurture and serve my university. I feel such a strong pull to these positions that it is almost unnatural. I took me until this morning to realize that my desire to help others isn't to satisfy my own needs, but to serve the Lord by serving others. God wants to touch these people and I have the opportunity to be that link. It's a humbling feeling. I don't know how I became so blessed, but I won't let these opportunities pass. I am so excited to serve others to thus serve God. I will forever be amazed by His plans for my life. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust also in me." (John 14:1)
Monday, October 22, 2012
My Calling
We often hear highly successful people talk about finding their "calling" early in life. It could be a student using a camera for the first time and feeling this instant draw towards photography. It could be a child watching his mother fight cancer and he discovers his passion for science/human research. Any moment, something inside of us can be triggered and our lives can be transformed. We can instantly feel a calling so strong that our lives readjust and focus on this one interest to the point of complete submersion. How and when we discover this desire and hope for our lives looks, feels, and develops differently for every person.
My question is: how do we know if we've discovered our calling? I have felt many strong desires to intern with a company, apply for different leadership positions, and take risks to understand who I am and what I want out of life. Are one of those instances, organizations, or causes my lifelong calling?
I was nominated for positions in my sorority of high honor. I had to decide whether to take one of those positions and dedicate the next year to my sorority, or to take a lesser position so that I could pursue my interests elsewhere. I called my dad (aka the voice of reason) and he asked me to describe the sorority positions that I was considering. Without realizing it, I deviated from the actual question and ended up talking my passion to give back and help others. I spoke about my desire to be an Orientation Leader (OL) to help and guide incoming freshmen. I spoke for a solid few minutes about how important the OL opportunity was to me--which would prevent me from pursuing a larger sorority position--and when I stopped for a moment to breathe I realized that I had already made up my mind... I was going to forgo a position of higher rank, so that I could pursue my passion to help others. My chances of becoming an OL are 1 in 1,000 (although I hope that I receive the position), but I have to try and I can feel in my heart that this is my calling.
My calling is to help others, in any way that I can. I have been given so many opportunities, some that I have taken and some that I've passed up, but all of them have led me to this point. I am here for a reason and I can somehow feel that I can make a difference. Even if this calling lasts for just a few months or a year, my calling to help others will always be there. For me, that seems "right" enough.
My question is: how do we know if we've discovered our calling? I have felt many strong desires to intern with a company, apply for different leadership positions, and take risks to understand who I am and what I want out of life. Are one of those instances, organizations, or causes my lifelong calling?
I was nominated for positions in my sorority of high honor. I had to decide whether to take one of those positions and dedicate the next year to my sorority, or to take a lesser position so that I could pursue my interests elsewhere. I called my dad (aka the voice of reason) and he asked me to describe the sorority positions that I was considering. Without realizing it, I deviated from the actual question and ended up talking my passion to give back and help others. I spoke about my desire to be an Orientation Leader (OL) to help and guide incoming freshmen. I spoke for a solid few minutes about how important the OL opportunity was to me--which would prevent me from pursuing a larger sorority position--and when I stopped for a moment to breathe I realized that I had already made up my mind... I was going to forgo a position of higher rank, so that I could pursue my passion to help others. My chances of becoming an OL are 1 in 1,000 (although I hope that I receive the position), but I have to try and I can feel in my heart that this is my calling.
My calling is to help others, in any way that I can. I have been given so many opportunities, some that I have taken and some that I've passed up, but all of them have led me to this point. I am here for a reason and I can somehow feel that I can make a difference. Even if this calling lasts for just a few months or a year, my calling to help others will always be there. For me, that seems "right" enough.
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