So here it is. Graduation.
I'm less than two weeks away from the end of my educational career as I know it.
I've never lived without school as a part of my life, and I'll be honest, I'm quite nervous.
My life has done a complete 180* turn in the past few months, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I am happier than I've ever been, and more scared than I've ever been, and the combination of the two is overwhelming to say the least.
So who am I now in comparison to who I was and who I've been?
I went into Southwestern naive, Conservative, strong in my faith in Jesus Christ, passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission to the unreached people groups of the world. I believed in Scripture and George Bush, and the liberal way of thinking at SU scared me. Everyday I was challenged in what I thought and why I thought it. I surrounded myself with Christian influences and kept in constant touch with my friends from high school. My goal at SU was to find my identity in Christ and my purpose in life. I was convinced that I wanted to be a Political Science major, so that I could intern at the Capitol. I thought that love was easy, and ran away from anything that caused me pain.
Now, I'm a believer in equality, passionate about social justice, and convinced that these ideologies are embedded in the words of Jesus Christ. I believe in love, and I am afraid that the majority of Christians don't even know how to love each other. I have since floated away from many of the Christian influences that I once surrounded myself with only to find a solid community of intellectual journeymen that includes Christians and non-Christians alike. I am a Sociology major and Spanish minor with my eyes and heart focused on Latin America. Now, I'm learning that love can be difficult, but I know not to run away, and that it's worth it to stay.
I've grown and transformed, but I am still pursuing life, love, and adventure because it's who I am, who I've always been, and who I'm meant to be.
Now...how to make money?
2 comments:
Sounds to me like your right where God wants you. All agendas out of the way, a more thoughtful life, a realer Jesus, and a future that is not planed from A-Z.
I too came to College as a mighty republican ready to convert the ignorant democrats (and all others) of their filthy liberal minds. Something happened though, and I am not sure when it happened. But, it hit me like an epiphany, it was the realization that my republican position was really not any better than that of the democrats. I can't really say my faith in God was challenged but my faith in the politics of my parents and so many other Christians certainly was. I have now undergone both a moral and political transformation in so many ways. It is not that I have become more liberal but more conservative. Those who have only ever thought the good ole republican way would deem it as a liberal position but I would call it a solely Christian one.
Lydia, you have awesome possibilities ahead of you. I am so very excited for all that you want to do. I know that you will live life to the fullest.
My closing thoughts. I have made a couple of observations as I have become more active in American Christianity. There are two common trends that I see people walk down after they have arisen from the dead politics that they had received from people in “High” places. One is that they may become zealously social Christians who with best intentions and a heart full of love will give themselves to society to help make it better. They give hugs when hugs are needed. Sleep on college campuses inside cardboard boxes to raise awareness for starving people around the world. They will donate a healthy portion of their money to help children go to school, and so on and on the list goes. They are what I call; actively giving that cold cup of water that Jesus has called us to give. And then there is a different kind of activism—a supernatural one. These are the people that believe God is actively involved in a supernatural and spiritual way with this world. They are all about praying at any time and any place for any person. They want and do see many miracles in every shape and fashion. They have a strong vision of what it means to actively be the Body of Christ that is continually edifying one another through the spiritual gifts. Their passion is one of Love and they desire to see the Body of Christ in beautiful unity and community and thereby reaching a dying and hurting world.
Thus, from the observations I have made, I have only observed a small amount of people who follow Christ and actually integrate a social and supernatural message. Both of these approaches are spiritual.
In my opinion what this integration looks like in a persons life is simply nothing more than a person actively and super-actively becoming involved with people’s lives. One becomes not only aware of simply the physical or just the spiritual but of the entire person whom one is reaching out to. So many of us as Christians live beneath our spiritual privileges in Christ. He purchased so much for us when he died on the Cross, and before He ascended on High He said that “All power has been given unto Me in Heaven and on Earth—therefore Go and be my witnesses to the end.” Man gave up his earthly authority in the Garden and it was not regained until the perfect Man Jesus took it back. The interesting thing is, is that just before Jesus ascended to heaven he commissioned those who would believe in Him with all authority. What man lost (in the garden) was earthly, and what he now has through Christ is an authority of heaven and of earth. Both a supernatural and a natural authority, to establish the Kingdom of Christ in Love. All things are summed up in love.
In hindsight I am not so sure why I just shared all that with you but I hope it blesses you, because it sure has changed my life. It is all some meshing together of some emergent and charismatic thoughts, plus more.
Thinks for having a blog. I will try and read more. And hopefully not fill you with comments this long every time. I must worn you though, I am blog addicted.
Your awesome,
Peace
William Shaw
I got my very own blog now. Whoop!!
You should check it out when you get a chance.
http://shaw-time.blogspot.com/
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