I’m a visual learner, and this has served me well for most of my life. However, high school French was a struggle. My teacher insisted upon conducting first year French orally, refusing to write any vocabulary words on the chalkboard. Because I think in words, his teaching style made it impossible for me to take notes, and I’m an almost obsessive note taker. Suffice it to say, I struggled bitterly through three years of classes with him, and often arrived late to school in hopes of cutting off the first five or 10 minutes of lecture.
I’ve been lucky in the years since then, and rarely need to rely on just my auditory skills. The one exception happens to be phone conversations, which I absolutely hate having. It’s not that I don’t want to catch up with my friends, all of whom are currently separated from me by a significant distance, making the phone a necessity. It’s that the lack of visual clues about a person’s mood or feelings while talking to them on the phone drives me crazy. I’d much rather send an e-mail than mentally struggle to listen and recall everything that I’m hearing but not seeing. In all honesty, I use Caller ID far more often than I should, and when I do have long conversations, I hang up absolutely drained and exhausted.
Maybe I’ll grow out of this aversion, or learn to hone my auditory skills. In the meantime though, I hate answering my phone.
This month’s Real Simple included an article on gratitude. Four readers kept a daily journal of everything they were thankful for. Personally, I find it easy to lose sight of what I’m grateful for, and I often fail to appreciate life’s blessings. Here’s my current list:
-God’s steadfast love, and His promise to never let go
-Worship music, especially anything by David Crowder
-My family’s grace and patience
-My personality – I’m a contented introvert
-Books, and the ability to read and learn
-Hot tea and coffee, and sweatshirts and socks, all of which are keeping me warm
-Vanilla candles, pumpkin bread, and nights spent by the fire
-The warmth and healing of sunshine
-Bike rides through country lanes and leaf-strewn streets
-Running, and the way the wind makes me feel alive
“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” -Luke 14:33
“Lukewarm people don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out.” -Francis Chan, Crazy Love
Seeking and surrender aren’t things I’m especially good at. The former requires vulnerability, and the latter requires humility. I’ve never been apt to spare minutes on anything I’m less than great at. However, I’m hopeful that God will help me learn to passionately seek Him and willingly surrender in my lifetime.
Sophie loves sitting on top of the dryer in the laundry basket, shedding his fur all over our clean clothes. (Yes, our male cat is named Sophie. When he initially showed up on our doorstep, we thought he was really a she, and a pregnant she at that. Turns out, he’s just a tad large, but the name stuck). He loves the warmth from that perch, and lately I’ve found him curled up there almost every day. He’s truly king of this house though: My mom will turn on an empty dryer to give him warmth, even on non-laundry days. What a life!
Last night, I dreamed I was married to Dave Annabale. My last thought before falling into slumber was that I had forgotten to watch Brothers & Sisters, so I suppose I fell asleep with a mental image of him. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea!
“Where people of goodwill get together and transcend their differences for the common good, peaceful and just solutions can be found even for those problems which seem most intractable.” -Nelson Mandela
I need a little humor this morning. I woke up with a headache, which is my least favorite way to start a weekend. To that end, let’s take a moment and enjoy 60 seconds of side splitting laughter courtesy of The Office.
-Relieved that my brother is safe and sound
-Frustrated that I’m a bit behind on my LSAT study schedule
-Wondering what hilarity level The Office reached last night
-Happy that I now have a part time job to pad my shopping fund
-Wishing that I had one more heavenly Fleur de Sel caramel for dessert
My brother’s school is on fire. He’s supposedly safe in a concrete building on campus, but his phone is off now, so I’m worrying even though I shouldn’t be. I’m also hitting refresh on Google News every 2 seconds for updates. It’s going to be a long night.
I’m a literal and concrete person. I like structure, and practical application. In Myers-Briggs lingo, I’m an ISTJ (A future post analyzing the way I fit this personality type is in the works, btw). Because of these aspects of my personality, faith can be challenging for me. It’s not easy for me to follow an entity that seems unknown most of the time, or to put my trust in something that I can’t see or plan. Christianity often terrifies me. Thankfully, God is patient with me and my paltry offerings. This was my prayer during Monday’s quiet time:
“God, forgive me for only praising you when life seems ‘good’ and it’s easy to recognize your blessings. I feel like my faith is still so small, and that I’m far too quick to turn away from you. I pray for a childlike faith that is not based on the circumstances of the world, but on unconditional hope. I have a problem relinquishing control, and for that, I pray for your mercy. I’m scared that if I surrender everything, the path you’ll lead me down will be a miserable and joyless one. Forgive me for my wrong beliefs about you. Bring me to a place of contentment with you.”
Five minutes later, I opened to Romans 8:15 and read this:
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father.’”
Perhaps all I really need is for Him to help me be brave.
