I've been thinking for a while about starting a blog (or at least an electronic journal of sorts) to help me think through my ideas, musings, questions, and changes in spirituality and life in general. I'll admit I hesitated at first, mainly because I haven't really decided about making these posts public, sharing with friends and family, or just keeping them to my self for the time being, but I though that this venue would be good for a few reasons: (1) I have absolutely awful handwriting. I've been keeping a short journal for each day reflecting on Bible verses I've read or just what happened that day. However, I want to be able to go back and actually read them one day without trying to decipher my handwriting. (2.) If I choose, this blog will be a way for me to keep in touch with friends and family around the world (I have a cousin in China, it counts for international correspondence) when I start my new internship in the spring. Sharing my thoughts in a blog is a little more personal than Facebook or the occasional email. :) (3) Finally, I find that having all my thoughts organized in front of me, even though in a bland black-and-white type, is actually very exciting. I like sitting down to a blank (web)page and knowing that I can pour my thoughts out, rearrange them, and eventually come up with a final product. Plus, I type a lot faster than I write.
I'm not really sure what the future of my first (real) blog holds, but I hope that it will help me learn more about myself, my place in the world, and the plans God has for my life. I know that that sounds a little bit cheesy. Some of my motivation for starting this blog stems from my reaction to reading "Let Your Life Speak" by Parker Palmer and some sermons and quotes by John Wesley earlier today. As always, life is always busy, always changing and I hope that this will be an opportunity to reflect on the journey and offer some clarity about my calling and purpose in: relationships, my career path, academics (although I'm finishing my undergrad in MAY [!] I hope that I always continue striving to learn more about the world around me), and basically everything in each day.
The title of my blog comes from my sister, Maribel. This past weekend was my last game (in Sanford Stadium) as a member of the UGA Flagline with the Redcoat Band. Ever since high school, Maribel and I have said the Lord's Prayer together before taking the field. At the end we always put our hands in and say something random or significant or both, depending on how we feel that day. Realizing it was my last regular game, I was already emotional, but when it came time to decide on what we would tag on at the end, Maribel's statement of "the end of an era, the beginning of a new" really rang true with me. I am sad to be leaving some things behind me, but I know that the that future lies ahead holds so much more in store for me. I'm thinking of adding onto the title to include part or all of a quote from John Wesley from one of his sermons that I read today: "being rooted and grounded in love, thou shalt be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of that love of Christ which passeth knowledge." I've always been really comforted, as well as driven, by verses that sing the importance of love. This Christly love that I strive to experience and share in my day-to-day life transcends labels of religion, background, past mistakes, future mistakes, uncertainty, and a host of other factors that often seem to separate us from this fullness of life God calls us to.
It is my prayer and goal that in all I do, I would be strongly rooted and grounded in love.
Love for my friends and family, love for those I do not know, have not met, and perhaps may never meet but are bound to by unexplainable and often unrecognized experiences and ties. Love for my calling, no matter how difficult at times. Love for those that cause me to grow as a person, although the process may cause frustration, anger, and even questioning of God's purpose for my life in those moments. And most of all, love for the God that has brought me to where I am, will guide my next steps, and will ensure that my future paths are made straight. I build a foundation on the unwavering truth and trust that I am where I need to be, doing what I need to be, when I need to be there, rooted and grounded in love.
