Thanks

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and in my family, that means going down to my grandparents' house. It means hanging out with all my cousins, getting shooed out of the kitchen by Grammy and eating a plethora of incredibly delicious food. Don't get me wrong, I like Thanksgiving, but this holiday has kind of lost its luster for me. We all say that we're thankful for our family, our friends, but I feel like there's no meaning behind it. We just say it because it's that time of year and it's what you do. All the advertisements on T.V seem ironic. They say, "Be thankful this year, it's the time of giving. Now go by this plasma screen 52 inch entertainment center! That's really giving!" Is this what our society has come to? An overdone, materialistic holiday season? It's a frightening prospect.

What you say you are thankful really shows what you feel is important. So this year, think very carefully about that. I have been so blessed this year by many things. It is my prayer that I don't forget that, and that you won't either.

Moments

Sometimes, we can be walking along, living our lives, when suddenly, something happens. You know that you will remember that moment for the rest of your life. I went down to my aunt and uncle's house this weekend and decided to take a walk in the woods by their house. I was listening to music, swishing through the leaves, just off my own world. I came upon a trail that ran along a creek bed, and being the curious person that I am, I started to walk down it. The trail dead ends but there is a bridge next to it that goes over the creek and takes you to the playground of an elementary school. There was a gate in front of the playground that was locked, so I just walked onto the bridge a little ways. Halfway across, I stopped dead in my tracks. On the railing of the bridge was a Peregrine Falcon with a mouse in its talons. The minute I saw the falcon, the song I was listening to ended, and everything was quiet. It was like God was telling me to take this all in. We looked at each other for a while. The falcon didn't seem to think I was a threat. I took a picture of it, and left it to eat its meal. While this may not seem like a life changing moment, it reminded me that sometimes the most simple things have the biggest impact. In our society, I think we forget that a lot. Money and material wealth don't satisfy, and never will. We need something bigger than ourselves.

A Shepherd's Staff

My all time favorite song is The House of God Forever by Jon Foreman. He is an amazing song writer, and you can really tell he puts a lot of thought and heart into his music. His faith inspires me every time I listen to his songs. The House of God Forever is basically Psalm 23 set to music. If you're not familiar with this Psalm, here it is:

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Of course, I think Jon Foreman's Bible is a different translation than mine because the song isn't this exact context, but the impact is exactly the same. It's beautiful. Calming. Emotional. Strong. Encouraging. Whenever I feel like nothing is going right or things are overwhelming, I listen to this song and every time a sense of peace comes over me. What a wonderful reminder this is. To know that God is always with us through all the bad stuff. He leads us along our journey, and makes us rest. That line really got me. Knowing that he wants to restore us and bring us up. It's such a comforting thought. We are not alone in this life. God's with us all the way. We don't have to be afraid! He knows us and loves us more than anyone. Nothing else matters but this.

Frustration

We all get frustrated. When things don't go our way, a problem we can't solve, (in my case, it would be my math homework), not being able to figure something out. There have been times when I've been really frustrated with people. Wondering if there are still good, decent people left in the world. Sometimes I feel like I have a hard time connecting with people. This week has reignited that frustration. After having a conversation with some acquaintances of mine, I discovered that their moral character was drastically different from what I thought it was. I was very disappointed, because I thought they were better than the people they were portraying through the words they were saying. It caused me to question my judgement of them. Had they been like this all along and I was too naive to notice? I started to lose my faith in people. I just sat and listened. I didn't open my mouth once, all the while growing more and more agitated. I couldn't believe it. How could someone so caring and kind do something so stupid and wrong? It just didn't make sense. I had no comments about what they said; probably because I've never been in any of the situations they were describing, and don't plan to be. I didn't like what I heard. I felt like I didn't have any influence. I was almost afraid to say something. I knew what I wanted to say: "How could you be so stupid?! Do want to mess up your life? You're very different from the person I thought you were. I don't know if I can trust you now." Now, this is the part where I felt like I hadn't made a connection with them. I love talking with people. Listening to their stories, finding out their likes, dislikes, dreams, passions. Really knowing them on a personal level. After talking with these people, I realized there was a whole other level to them that I didn't know about. It was as if it had been hiding, and all it took was one small action to bring it out of the shadows. I was shocked. It was like I didn't know them at all. Looking back on it, I think everyone has different levels to them. Some are happy and want to be seen, others are dark and are kept inside. It takes an enormous amount of trust for someone to show you all of their levels. That really says something if you make that connection.