Choosing to be Thankful

Well, it's that time of the semester. Everything seems to be crashing down with papers, exams and various group projects. It's almost as if all faculty sit down and devise a plan to cause as much chaos in the lives of students as feasibly possible. Now, I know that they don't actually do this. In fact, my professors are trying so very hard to make the end of the semester close with as little difficulty as possible. It's just that time is so....limited. The time that will be required for what needs to get done seems to far surpass the amount of time allowed. Getting stressed is easy, but overcoming the stress seems to be much more difficult. I wonder how on earth I'll get everything done that needs to get done, yet I know that it all will get done...somehow.

The easy thing to do in times like this is complain. We act and talk as if we're the only ones who are stressed out about the end of the semester and all that it entails. False. We're all doing this. We're all writing papers. We're all taking exams. We're all working on group presentations. And while it might not be the most enjoyable time of the semester, we can choose to be thankful. We can be thankful for the opportunity to get an education. I think we forget how fortunate we are to have this window of time to better ourselves and prepare for our futures.

So, in light of all that needs to be done in the next two weeks, I'll continue to press on with an attitude of humility and thankfulness. It's really the only way I'm going to make it through!

A Challenged Faith: I'd Rather Not Get Comfortable

Faith is a difficult thing. Although we often try, it's not something we can put in a box. We like to think we have it all figured out, but unfortunately that's a pretty hefty claim. I like to think that it's easy to "just have faith," but in this postmodern world, that's not always so easy. We tend to want reasons for knowing.

I think back to the days of a small Lutheran church placed smack dab in the middle of the country side. Imagine a little white church with a steeple, a bell outside that is rung before and after the service, and a basement full of old quilting ladies who brought various hotdishes for the potluck, and you can understand the church where I grew up. Everything was predictable. Everything was comfortable. Everything was simple.

But then I moved away. And in my classes I was presented with views that opposed my own. I was challenged with ideas that caused me to lose sleep because I was so uncomfortable with the thought that what I had always known...might not be truth. But how do we know? What about my claim that God is truth, and all truth is God's truth? What about my claim that Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin? What about my belief that Jesus died on a cross and actually rose again three days later? And is it okay to challenge these questions in a quest to find what is really true?

I think that God wants this. I think - actually, I believe - He invites us to challenge what we believe. God wants us to take what we "know" and discover what we can know. He wants us to dig, and to chew, and to wrestle with what truth really is so in the end, He can reveal Himself to us in full glory.

The beauty of a challenged faith is that it cannot remain stagnant. My 'faith' is no longer a mere wealth of knowledge that my parents instilled in me through forced Sunday school, confirmation and church. It's mine. It's growing, it's alive, and it's more beautiful than ever. I can't put my faith in a box, and I'm constantly being challenged with uncomfortable ideas and thoughts - and I love that I'm okay with that. Time and time again, God continues to show me truth in the presence of my doubts.

As soon as we become comfortable, we no longer see a need to grow. When I get comfortable, I get lazy...so I'm excited that my faith is challenged. Honestly, if being comfortable in my faith means that I my faith becomes stale, I'd just rather not get comfortable.