Perfect Timing

As my days on campus are winding down, I'm using every minute of them to be with friends.  (As I'm sure you noticed with my lack of participation in social media outlets).

Our Suite Day ended earlier than anticipated, so I texted Stacy and asked if she wanted to play tennis.  I had about a little over an hour before I needed to be ready for dinner.

She said sure, so we headed to the courts.

There was a storm brewing on the horizon, and we had the perfect spot to watch it roll in.  Based on how often Stacy glanced up at the sky, I could tell she was nervous about this impending storm.

I'm from the Midwest.  I figured we would play until the wind picked up, it started raining, or we saw lightning.

The darker the sky got, the more often we glanced towards it.  In the distance, we could see the rain coming down.  Stacy asked me if I was a daredevil.  I'm not, but I do love watching storms roll in.

We hurried to get stray balls, wasted no time before a serve, and hit as frequently as we could.

Finally Stacy said it would have to be the last rally.

No rain, no wind, no lightning.

I disagreed but complied.  I knew she was more concerned for my safety than her own.  I knew that if something happened to me, she'd somehow contort it to where she, as the adult, was responsible.

In the two minutes it takes to drive back to my apartment, the wind picked up tremendously.  As we entered the breezeway of my building, the first few rain drops fell.

We got back quite literally at the perfect time.

If it hadn't been for Stacy having my best interests at heart, I would have kept playing.  I would have gotten wet.  I would have blown away.  I would have gotten struck by lightning.

If it weren't for God having my best interests at heart, I would not be where I am.  I would keep playing, I would blow away, I would get hurt.

Sometimes obedience is hard.  Ok, a lot of times obedience is hard.  We'd rather risk it and wait the impending storm.

But I fully believe that God has our best interests at heart.  If it is His will, He'll protect us from danger, even if He waits until the last moment to do it.

Even though we may not agree, the best thing we can do is comply to His will.

<>< Katie

Peaceful

In my living room right now is a huge poster my small group made last semester listing everything we fear. Some of them are irrational fears like mice, wet paper, spiders, germs (ok, that was mine), fire (that's mine, too)... However, some of them legitimate, colossal fears like dying young, unintentionally pushing people away from God, accidentally killing a patient, rejection, failure, car accidents,not having what we need, running out of time, etc.

Since we've made that poster, I've come to realize that a lot of these fears control my life. I am slowly learning to let them go. Our current Sunday School study entitled "Fearless: Imagine A Life Without Fear" is helping a lot.

Today we discussed the fear of running out. What? We listed things we can run out of: gas, time, energy, and even hope. I didn't think this really applied to me until I was standing in Wal-mart an hour later with a case of water in my arms. I still had a two-gallon of water in my apartment (not to mention tap water but I think it tastes gross and has black floating things it in) but there I was buying more water. Unintentionally, I always ration my water, especially when I'm driving. I always leave one last schluck in the bottle until I arrive wherever I'm going. What if I get really thirsty before I get to my destination? What if I start hacking up a lung and don't have any water?

The fear of running out.

Worry. That's the root of this fear. Being concerned about something without considering God's involvement. Honestly, I don't think God's going to let me choke to death on air before I arrive unless that's His plan for me. Maybe it is. I don't know, but I can't spend my time worrying about it.

Matt showed us a variety of other ways to deal with our fears:
1. Pray first- 1 Peter 5:7, first means before anything else
2. Easy now- Psalm 37:7, take it to Jesus and be specific
3. Act on it- treat it like mosquito that lands on your arm.
4. Compile a worry list- look at them again next week. How many were really as big of a deal as you though?
5. Evaluate- do you see any themes appearing?
6. Focus on today- Hebrews 4:16, one day at a time
7. Unleash a worry army- let others share in your concerns and pray with you
8. Let God be enough- Matthew 6:32-33, even if you run out of everything else, He is there
That spells out:
P.E.A.C.E.F.U.L.

Be peaceful instead of worrying.
Go to God instead of being consumed by fear, even if you can't form a complete sentence. It happens. "God. Scared. Help!" will work.

"I will fear not evil." - Psalm 23:4b

Go in peace and serve the Lord,
<>< Katie

Used Books

My suitemates and I were discussing buying books online verses in the bookstore. Everyone was sharing how much money they save buying used books online. I've used that avenue to purchase my share of books, but the hassle almost isn't worth the money I save. I mean, who wants to spend their time worrying about when the book will arrive? Will it come in at a time when the post office is open? What if I have homework before I have the book? After shipping and handling costs are added, did I still save money?

The questions don't stop when the book arrives. Is this the right book? Is the cover/spine destroyed? Did the former owner spill coffee (or anything else gross) on it? Did the former owner make useless marks all over the pages like a loser? Are there missing pages/ corners? Was the book well cared for?

Most of these things I am learning to overlook, but there is one question I cannot bypass: How many times was this book used to block a sneeze?

I guess I'm just too particular about my stuff to truly enjoy the treasures hidden in used bookstores. Enjoy the troves and allow me to savor the crisp spine and pristine pages of my more expensive bookstore books.

<>< Katie