Held Together

It's as if Wednesdays decided to look me straight in the face and say "who you callin' wacked?"

Because so far this semester, let me tell you what, Wednesdays have been the best day of the week.

I was going to come home today, throw on some decent clothes ("sweatpants all day, again, Sadie" I couldn't keep from thinking) and book it to the nearest coffee shop for some R and R. Then I got a call from Beth Babcock, who is the BCM missions coordinator. I'm on the newly established (as in this afternoon established) missions committee (we are not exclusive, please join!) and we all needed to pour over some ideas about how to realistically raise the amount of money we have pledged towards the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.

I say realistically because we were not thinking logistically. Can I get an amen for a swing-off? I mean why is it that every time someone says "fundraiser" people pick a spot on the ceiling to all of the sudden stare off in the distance at? This stuff can be FUN, people! It's not supposed to be a logical "this is how much I have leftover to give, oh shoot it doesn't meet our fundraising goal" thing. It's not meant to be some legalistic, black and white, boring process.

It's out of thankfulness to God. And I'd much rather someone have that than to get their money. I'd rather have someone say "you know, I just don't have a lot to give" and do it cheerfully than have someone who gives a lot out of obligation and not out of the thankfulness, the joy that is supposed to be involved in the whole giving situation. I feel like too much of the latter over the years has a lot to do with why that speck on the ceiling all the sudden becomes so amazing.

I understand that. I mean who likes to give when they feel like it is expected of them in the first place? When you feel like someone is breathing down your neck to get you to pull out that 20. It robs it of the joy. And that is so not where I want us to be as a committee. I'm about the joy. Hmm, mmm. Anyway, the meeting this afternoon got me pumped for ways we can realistically meet a goal without being too logistical, or typical, in our planning. How many car washes can a group do, really?

So that was good.

Then I got home, still with "the plan" in mind. And there is Katie Jones running like a madwoman with a swiffer cloth, grabbing the vaccum, sweepin mess up... you get the picture, yes? So then I was like "what. a. yes!" Thus ensued all sorts of smells and concoctions and soaps and rags and paper towels. What resulted was a clean apartment. And that, my friends, is the opposite of whacked.

That was good.

I was a busy little bee this weekend. Something about a 6 page paper and the Inca Empire and my thoughts on them. Which were non-existent at the time and, after a day of detox, are pretty much back to non-existent now. This may be a problem come exam time, but for now it feels awesome to be done with my first major paper.

Speaking of feeling awesome, right now is the first time I've felt physically great since last friday. Turns out the culprit was a bladder infection. A few doses of Bactrim later and I am a happy camper.

Happy and not wacked out.

I mean if there is something wrong right now, it's that I don't have my camera to take pictures of my apartment to (finally) show those of you interested (riding my hind to finally do) in seeing the finished product. Mom.

Ah, but even that ain't no thang.

Another good thing about today? So You Think You Can Dance is on. I know, I know, how could life be any better? (that's me using sarcasm to make fun of my own self, in case you didn't pick up on it)

I just love a day to catch up. I'm going to go apply that to my school work soon, but for now I have the apartment, the missions committee, the computer and the sleep all up to speed and that is something I'm enjoying.

There's a lot going on around me. Not physically right now, really, as per we are all exhausted from the cleaning. But in the lives of the people I love, big things are happening. In my life, there are big things to consider. So I do and they do (consider said big things). Sometimes we talk, sometimes we don't. And these things around me? They should seem BIG. They should weigh pretty heavily. On some people they do. For those people I am truly burdened. But even that burden isn't mine to carry. It isn't theirs either. Praise the Lord.

He's got bigger and better things than my "big" things. I don't know what they are, and I have a responsibility to actively ask for His wisdom in discerning what the bigger and the better is. I'm not always (as in close to never) good at the second part. But I'm getting a better idea of the first part and it sure-as-sweet-potato-casserole-on-thanksgiving is prompting a desire in me to be better at the second.

For my birthday I decided to splurge a bit. I had money from my grandparents and there were some vendors outside of our student center. There were dresses and scarves and posters and quilts. All sorts of tempting things. But the jewelry caught my eye. Specifically this woven little ring.

In Bible study that week one of our reference passages was Colossians 1:15-20. The intricate pattern on the ring reminded me of verse 17:

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Simple enough, right? The passage goes on to describe everything that Jesus is and it is a lot. He is a lot. It's overwhelming, even. But it's as simple as that at the same time. You might just say He is big. Which is funny, because I'm pretty sure I've got some big things to offer Him. Big to me, at least. From where He's standing? Shoot, He's holding it together.

My bible has this to say on the verse:

"God is not only the Creator of the world, but he is also its Sustainer. In him, everything is held together, protected, and prevented from disintegrating into chaos. Because Christ is the sustainer of all life, none of us is independent from him. We are all his servants who must daily trust him for protecting us, caring for us, and sustaining us."

Wednesdays are going to need a new adjective, I fear.

Because it no longer answers to wacked out.

And God sure isn't intimidated by the wack.

He's holding it together.