Life is About Living

When I was a college student, I heard and saw a lot of things.  As a Christian, there were many times that I chose to omit a reading assignment, simply because of my personal beliefs.  Other than that, I was the studious student who sat in the front row every day, always asking and answering questions, eager to participate in the class as much as I possibly could without dominating the conversation, which I am sure I often did.  The professors loved having me in their class, always complimenting me on my obvious love for knowledge.  All of my hard work paid off when I achieved a 4.0 GPA on my Master of Science degree, having completed all six years of college with honors.  Of course, I give all of the praise and honor and glory to Jesus Christ, for without Him, I am nothing.  Without Him, I could not do anything.  But with God on my side, I can do anything!

While my college career was primarily a positive one, there was one assignment that I learned about in one of my education classes that disturbed me.  The professor said a worthwhile assignment in an English class for middle or high school students would be to have them write their obituary.  As the words spilled out of their mouth, I was shocked and horrified that this professor would ask mere children and teenagers to write their own obituary.  How mortifying!  I was greatly relieved when I learned that we would not have to personally complete this exercise ourselves.  And while I now understand the merit in the assignment, I much prefer asking my students to write positive, upbeat poetry, essays, and stories.  Nevertheless, I do think it is something we should not necessarily do, but we should all certainly think about.

Now before you get bent out of shape like I was originally, I do not want you to leave this blog or on the contrary, run and grab your pen and paper to begin writing.  Instead, I want you to look at the way you are living your life.  When you go to work, do you have a smile on your face?  Or is your face twisted up into a sour expression?  Do you greet people in the checkout lane at the grocery store, or do you give them a grimacing look because they got ahead of you in line by one millisecond?  And when you go to church on Sunday, do you have a smile on your face and greet everyone sweetly, only to get in the car on the way home and complain about the pastor’s sermon being too long?  Or do you go home and ponder what the pastor said, reading your Bible and studying the scriptures more carefully to get ready for the week ahead?  You see, living life isn’t just about getting up and going to work, eating dinner and going to bed, just to repeat the process the next day.  Life should be about living.

When a teacher’s students are asked to write an obituary for themselves, they must think about the way other people view their lives.  How do people see them?  What have they done that would be remembered?  And how have they treated their family, their friends, their neighbors, coworkers, pastor, and even strangers on the street?  These are the things people will remember.  Most will not even know if you remembered to feed the cat this morning, whether you came to the annual Christmas party last year, or if you donated money to a charity last month online.  They are going to remember how you act every single day of the year.  They will remember how you carry yourself on good days and bad.  They will recall whether or not you have a cheery disposition or a gloomy one.  They will remember if you lived a life for yourself or a life for Christ.

So the next time you are in the grocery store, be the person who sees someone with fewer items in their cart and offer to allow them to skip ahead of you in line.  Be the individual who smiles all of the time, regardless of what is going on around you.  Be the person who people want to be around.  Not because of the clothes you wear, the car you drive or the way you look, but because of the way you act.  Be the one who keeps their head held high, grateful for each and every new day, rain or shine.  Be the light in a world of darkness.  Be the change this world needs.  Let the joy of Jesus Christ shine forth in such a way that it is contagious!  Through your Christ-like example, people will be reminded that life isn’t about sweating the small stuff.  Life is about living.

In Christ’s Love,

Jennifer

When You Don't Understand

All of my life, I had definite plans to go to college.  I had always dreamed of the day that I would wear the funny shaped square hat, along with the oversized, one-size-doesn’t-truly-fit-all gown.  I wondered if I would get to wear any of the brightly colored cords or stoles.  Would I graduate as valedictorian and have the opportunity to speak at the graduation ceremony?  After graduation, would I be hired for the teaching job of my dreams?  And would I enjoy making the transition from student to teacher?
In 2004, I graduated with high honors with an Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts.  Additionally, I was invited to be one of the featured speakers at the commencement ceremony.  Two years later, I wore my third funny shaped hat, the first being for my high school graduation.  This time, I was graduating with high honors from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in English.  In June 2008, I am proud to say that I graduated with a Master of Science degree in English Education with highest honors.  I earned a 4.0 GPA.  And yes, I had the opportunity to wear my fourth funny shaped hat, enormous gown, and another collection of honor cords and a stole.  Oh, and I did manage to find the teaching job of my dreams, and I have found that giving grades is much more pleasant than trying to earn them.

I am so grateful to the Lord for not only giving me my dream of graduating, but showering me with the abundant blessing of having this experience not once, but four times.  Not only that, but He gave me the desires of my heart when He gave me the opportunity to speak, and even add color to my ensemble by enabling me to achieve highest honors.  There are some things in life that happen so perfectly.  And other times, there are moments that transpire that leave me wondering why they had to happen at all.

Yet, with these six years of higher learning and five years of teaching under my belt, there are times when I feel that I do not know anything.  While I may be able to explain hyperbole and onomatopoeia until I am blue in the face, there are an infinite number of things that I cannot even begin to comprehend.  Although I could write a qualitative essay in the amount of time it takes some people to drink a cup of coffee, the mysteries of life often stop me in my tracks.  In short, I simply do not understand why some things happen.

When I take a closer look at the trials people around me are facing, as well as the trials that I have endured in my own life, I often wonder why God does not always intervene.  As the evangelist David Ring has asked so many times before, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Why do Christians have their children taken away too soon, whether through a miscarriage before they are born or an accident when they are older?  Then other people live a life straying away from God, only to have healthy children falling out of their windows.  Why does the drunk driver sometimes walk away unscathed while innocent people’s lives are lost?  Why do people who spend their lives happily helping others have to fight internal battles, whether emotional, mental, or physical?  I don’t understand.  Do you?

Even with my educational background, I am unable to uncover all of the mysteries of life.  No college degree can provide the knowledge that is possessed only by a sovereign God.  There is no institution, no matter how prestigious, that can explain why these things happen as they do.  While I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to become a college graduate, I know that there is more to life than what university professors and college textbooks can teach you.  There is only one Teacher who can impart the knowledge necessary to survive this broken planet.  This world is full of trials and tribulations, and a myriad of things that we do not understand.  And in reality, there are some things that we will likely never understand.

As I look back on my life, I don’t understand why I have seen loved ones pass away all too soon.  I cannot comprehend why I have endured physical problems.  I don’t know why there are times when I feel lost, uncertain which way to turn.  What I do know, with complete certainty, is that Jesus Christ has walked with me through every victory and every defeat.  He walked me to class when I was in college.  He walked across the platform at each of my graduation ceremonies, cheering me on.  Likewise, He walked with me through long hospital hallways, funeral homes, and cemeteries.  He is sitting beside me, even now, guiding my fingers as I write about the times I don’t understand life itself.

No matter what you are going through, Jesus Christ wants to walk beside you each and every day, just as He does for me.  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will never be the same.  You will experience the peace that passes all understanding.  Sure, you still may not understand all of the mysteries of life, but you will have the One who does understand with you always.  He said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).  It does not matter if you have a college education or not.  What matters is whether you have Jesus Christ beside you, guiding you and directing your paths.  He will teach you how to overcome the trials of life.  He will show you how to enjoy living.  Even when you don’t understand, Jesus loves you.  He understands exactly where you are in your journey, and He will never leave you alone.

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer