Beautiful Scars

I feel like I've blogged about this before, but God put it on my heart again today, so I figured I'd write about it again. A reminder can't hurt, right?

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who hate their scars and people who love them. I'm one of the hate kind. I'm among the ones who try and hide their physical scars with make-up, clothing, and jewelry. They try and do anything to not have their scars be seen.

Jesus is part of the other kind. He loves to sit in the middle of a crowd and tell the story about why His hands having gaping holes. Explain why He's got a gash in His side. He'll tell anyone who will listen about the dents in His head. He'll tell them about His tragic death.

But was it tragic? What He loves to tell is how those gaping holes saved us from sin. That gash fulfilled prophesies helping to prove He is the Messiah. Those dents are of shame and ridicule. Shame, ridicule, and death that we deserved.

Sure, you've heard it a million times. You've read the book and seen the movie. But sit down and let Him tell you the story one-on-one. Listen to Him tell you what He did for you. It's an amazing story of love that needs to be told over, and over, and over again.

Don't forget about Jesus' beautiful scars. How and why they got there.

<>< Katie

Indecisiveness Leads to Skinned Knees

After going to a meeting that is really next week, I was carrying a stack of papers, water bottle, and camera while I rode my bike back to my apartment today. I had a decision to make: take the sidewalk or the road. It's up and hill and the two are not parallel in this area. Yesterday, I took the sidewalk and didn't quite make it up the hill. Today I couldn't decide if I wanted to take the road or the sidewalk.

Road? Sidewalk? Road? Sidewalk? Road?

As I created a pros and cons chart for each option, I continued to race towards the intersection. I finally decided on the road, but then I noticed the road has speed bumps. I changed my mind and opted for the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it was too late to decide, and I met the grass, rocks, and sidewalk up close and personally.

Luckily, only two people saw (or admitted they saw). Of course, they're two people I don't know, so I will forever be ingrained in their brains as the girl who can't ride a bike. My ego and knees are bruised, but I'm OK. My bike, took a harder fall than I did; the chain fell off.

Several hours later I was talking to my friend Hannah about this mishap and about another problem I've been facing. I'm trying to decide which ministry to join this year. There are two and I can't do both (or I'll be over committed). One minute, I'm game to do one, and the next minute I change to the other one.

This? That? This? That?
Road? Sidewalk? Road? Sidewalk?

It was kind of as if God said, "Either is fine, but you'd better decide before it's too late and you wipe out completely. Oh, and don't change your mind either."

Well, folks, let's go ride a bike!

<>< Katie

PS: For those of you who are wondering: yes, I was wearing my helmet. No, the papers did not go flying everywhere. Yes, the chain is back on my bike thanks to Daddy Delaware.

Stereotypes

We've all assumed them. We've all faced them. We've all been annoyed by them. Yet stereotypes still exist in this world.

On Wednesday, several friends and I were having an intimate, intense discussion in the hallway of his dorm. A door opened and a new student walked into the hall. I'd never met this boy before, but I instantly knew he was a football player and I didn't like him. As he passed, my friend accidentally dropped a pen. The new student stopped, picked it up, and handed it back to my friend before continuing down the hall. We looked at each other in shock! Someone even mouthed, "Wow! He's actually nice!"

We'd all judged this new kid before we'd even met him. When he returned to his room, we introduced ourselves and he blew away more stereotypes. Yes, he is a football player. Yes, he was student government class president for three years in high school. Yes, he is a music major, choir director, and teacher. Yes, his dream is to go to medical school. Yes, he is a preacher's son. Yes, he was appalled by the number of swear words dropped nonchalantly on the football field. Yes, he was concerned about the cleanliness of his room. Yes, he cringed when someone used improper grammar. Yes, he is nice. We invited him to join our discussion, and he was instantly sucked into our dilemma.

Don't make the same mistake I did and write people off before you even know their names. Take the time to get to know them before you judge them.

In Christ,
<>< Katie

Clothing

"I'm joining a nudist colony," I announced to my mother this afternoon.

"Um... Ok. Why?"

I spent two hours traveling through every clothing store in the mall, and I came home with four books and a new contacts perscription. Everything I tried on at had something wrong with it: This shirt makes me think of Grandpa, what's with the bows?, it looks like a checkerboard, if I wanted jeans with holes in them I'd wear the ones I have, yeah that's nice but move and boom FREE SHOW!... On and on and on for two hours.

Dressing modestly in today's world is a challenge. To put it lightly. Sure, there's always the popular potato sack, but really how can one run in a potato sack?

Bananagrams

I have a new favorite games: Bananagrams. It's basically like Scrabble but without the board, you play off your own letters, and you can rearrange. To me, the best part is flipping over your tiles for the first time and seeing what kind of crazy words you can make. I also love it when you're so frustrated you start rearranging insanely and are amazed and some of the words that pop up. Those words weren't there thirty seconds earlier, but now all of the sudden you have huge words like "Taxation" or "Planet" or "Quiver". They all appear.

In the same way, after you're looking at one thing (or aspect of life) in one manner for eons, it looks boring. You seem to feel like there's nowhere to go, no way to change, nothing. Yet if you rearrange a bit, break the rut, and suddenly all sorts of new options appear!

"I don't expect God to speak to me through that metal pole." - Jonathan
"BUT He can!" - Katie

<>< Katie