Namaste! ::[And What You Can Learn From Others]::

Warning: Content below may be more liberal than it appears. 

Don't say you haven't been warned.

This weekend, I went on the coveted Living World Religions trip that takes place each semester. We spent 3 days in DFW, taking our learning from classroom to experience. Let me tell you, it was incredible! Aside from the fact that field trips are just fun anyway, I learn so much more from directly experiencing something. 

During the weekend we went to a Hindu Temple, a Theravada Buddhist temple, a Muslim Mosque, a Sikh Temple, a Jewish Synagogue, a Baha'i Center, and a Soka Gakai Buddhist Temple. Talk about a whirlwind of knowledge. I wish I could post everything I saw, processed, thought, felt, talked about, etc. but that would be pages-and I don't even know if I can put it into words justly. 

But there is one particular experience--well, one word really, that has played through my mind the past few days.

 

"Namaste"

If you've ever done yoga, you've probably heard and said this word. 

Our first stop of the trip, Friday morning, was to a Hindu Temple. A beautiful Indian couple met us and spent a few hours explaining the basic beliefs of Hinduism. I could have spent the rest of the day there, listening and asking questions and looking at everything, and still not feel confidently enough to claim that I KNOW Hinduism. I don't seek to explain it here either, but I would love to tell you what I learned if you'd ask me! 

But the word "namaste", the couple explained, means "I bow to the divinity within you". I honor that "Brahman" is within you. Brahman is the Creator god in Hinduism. Something I misunderstood in Hinduism is that Brahman is the one god, and then there are different deities under it (like our Creator God, and then the deities of Jesus and the Holy Spirit). But they also believe that Brahman is in everything; that it is in the trees, the air, and us. So "namaste" is respecting the part of Brahman that is in them. And that word and phrase have resounded through my mind since Friday morning.

One of my biggest take-aways from the weekend was seeing how we can learn truths from other religions that are also present in our own. Every opportunity is a chance to learn and grow.

So what if we, as Christians, learned from "namaste"? What if we approached the rest of our brothers and sisters in this world and bowed to the part of God that is in all of his creation? I don't know about you, but I think God's fingerprint is in every part of creation, kind of like Brahman in Hinduism. I'm certain those implications are different in Hinduism than in Christianity. But I fully believe we can learn from different religions and grow in our faith because of it.
So just imagine if we acknowledged that God is living inside of your brother, or inside of your roommate, or your spouse, or that waiter at your favorite restaurant, or the scantily-clad woman you passed in downtown. Would you approach them differently? Would your thoughts go immediately to judgement, or would they go to love? Wouldn't it be much easier to go talk to a stranger who looks different than you if you thought about how you both had God within you? That's something that I really need to take to heart.

Hebrews 13:2 tells us to show love to strangers because in doing so, we could have shown love to an angel without even knowing (paraphrase). And Matthew 15:40, Jesus says "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." So greeting someone with "namaste", maybe we will be more willing to see the beauty and value in a person who, by our worldly perceptions, is not seen as valuable.

Not only does this idea of bowing to the divinity within a person change how you view them, but when you bow, you lower yourself and show humility in approaching someone else. I was reading this blog earlier today about the meaning of Namaskar (the act associated with Namaste) and it said that people look to the earth, humbling themselves, when they bow in Namaste. You humble yourself in the presence of God, so it only makes sense to humble yourselves to the aspect of himself in his creation. 

Let me say that again, we humble ourselves to the aspect of God in his creation. We do not worship the creation itself. That is one major difference I saw over and over this weekend, but that's not what this post is about. There's a major aspect in Namaskar that focuses on recognizing our oneness with those around us, being created by the same creator. Namaste acknowledges this idea that none are higher than anyone else. Bowing (humbling) ourselves to each other places every person on the same level. And therein lies the solution! When we recognize we are no more nor less than anyone else, we can show them the true, pure love of God that His greatest creation deserves.

Story

"If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation." --Don Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend putting it on your list! Or really anything by Don Miller. Anyway, this quote really stuck out to me, so I just wanted to unpack a little bit. Recently I have been on an online quiz kick with my suite-we send each other silly quizzes that tell you everything from what color is your aura to which member of One Direction should you marry (for those wondering, I've gotten Harry for every variation of this topic.) I have also had to take some psychological tests for an application process I am currently going through. On both of these types of quizzes (legitimate and amateur-created), a series of personality/preference based questions are asked. In the past two weeks I have answered questions about what type of pet would I prefer, where someone would find me at a party, what my ideal first date would be, and even where I value myself. It may seem silly, but these quizzes-both clinical and not-have sent me on some soul searching. I realized that I have a hard time discerning how to answer some questions because I weigh my entire life in the options. And too often, I have to stop myself from answering how my late adolescent self would. I am realizing more and more that I have changed a LOT since high school. I have found a deeper faith-one that is informed and intentional instead of well-behaved and surface. I have gained more and more confidence in myself. I have started realizing what I actually like and what I don't like, instead of trying to like whatever is cool around me. 

And through it all, I keep changing. I have often been noted as the most changed person in different periods in my life. At summer camp, in middle school choir, with my high school friend groups, and now with my best friends. I never thought twice about how often I am told that I've "changed so much since..." You fill in the blank. But I think that's one of the qualities I am thankful for the most. The ability to grow in so many situations. And maybe that's because I have more growing to do than most people, I'm not quite sure, but I constantly thank God that I have experience character transformation. 

Granted, I still have many days where I backslide closer to my old ways, but the further I grow away from that, the further my backslides are from that original point. I don't say any of that to brag, just reflecting on life and story. We are given an opportunity to live the kind of story we want. And sometimes that story is walking alongside God, letting Him change and grow us. Sometimes that story has lows, sometimes it has highs. But we are always moving in our story. We can live as the protagonist-moving forward, toward a new self who is more loving/courageous/confident/joyful/whatever you desire most. Or we can live as an antagonist-moving back, away, down; becoming more pessimistic/angry/spiteful/fearful. Either way, we go through a character transformation. And, as Don puts it, "If you haven't experienced character transformation, the story hasn't happened yet." 

We can choose our own story, whether we will be an antagonist or protagonist. Whether we will grow forward, or slide back. Whether you will live your story intentionally or with apathy, playing the victim. What will your character transformation be?

I Just Can't Do It Alone

The reality of graduation is weighing very heavily on me. Not in an "I'm depressed and mopey, freaking out because college is ending" kind of way, but more of a "wide-eyed 22 year old, facing the precipice of real-life adulthood" way. 

In less than 2 months now, I will don my graduation cap and gown, hopefully smoothly waltz across the Benson stage, shake hands with Dr. McLarty, and shuffle my way into the cold world. And each step I take toward that day is making me realize more and more that I am growing up. What a terrifying, but simultaneously incredible, thought! 

I have changed so much in the past 4 years-physically, emotionally, spiritually-and thank GOD! As I approach this crossroads, I find myself stealing glances back at what was, thinking about all the things I have learned and the different places I have transformed. I can literally feel the growing pains, as I prepare to take my leap into full-on responsibility; a world away from the simplicities of the routine of school-life. And this semester is challenging me-this whole year, in fact. I have been given incredible responsibilities (and when I say incredible, I mean I am so honored by all the responsibilities handed to me within the past year). I was given the chance last summer to not only intern for a second time but to coordinate a seminar about human trafficking at my church. My best friend got engaged to the man of her dreams, and I am humbled to stand beside her as Maid of Honor this year. I spent last semester as an activities director for my social club with my dear friend Steph. In some fumble of life, I was selected to help lead our human trafficking group at Harding with a group of awesome people who are dedicated to the cause! And most recently, have been blessed to be connected in a powerful way with the organization PATH in Little Rock, and am directing a 5K in May to help promote awareness and raise funds.

And with all this responsibility, as amazing as it is, I am questioning what on EARTH God thinks He is doing. I'm the girl who can't finish anything! There's a coffee table sitting in our apartment living room that has been sanded down for almost a year now, waiting on me to spruce it up with a new paint job. I'm the girl who starts to clean her room, and get's stuck sorting through a drawer of old stuff, leaving it a bigger mess than when I started. I can't even list how many books I have accumulated over my life that are half-read, because I start a new one and never go back to finish it.

So this is my growing up challenge. God is challenging me to finish what I started. He's challenging me to not hope that things are moved or cancelled for my lazy convenience, but to take on all my responsibilities (be it Maid of Honor, HUmanity, graduation, post-grad planning, social life, PATH, etc.) and complete them for His glory. He is teaching me that I CAN'T finish anything on my own...except maybe a Peanut Butter Snickers. But I CAN finish if I turn it over to Him. I will always need help. Granted, I am often too stubborn to ask for it. God has been standing next to me so many times saying "Here, hand it to me, beloved. We can do it together. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. It's lighter than any of these things you are juggling. So hand it to me, let me help." 

I will probably still always be that girl who has a hard time finishing every book I pick up, or every DIY project I so boldly take on. But I also know that God is growing me in this stage of my life, to be a mature adult, willing to take on tasks that will glorify Him. He just has to remind me sometimes that I can only truly finish them if I rely on Him.

Girl Post: Cheetah Nail Art DIY

When I'm stressed, I paint my nails. It helps me to be able to focus on that one thing and feel like I'm being productive. So last night, I decided to try out this cheetah print nail art that I saw on Instagram. I'm kind of obsessed, might be trying it in many different colors until I find some new design that I feel I can manage.

Anyway, I wanted to pass on how to make your own cheetah print nail art!

You need:

3 colors of nail polish (particularly your base color, white and black-but feel free to get creative!)

Top coat

Pointed tip or very tiny paint brush (I used an old ball point pen with a sharp tip)

Cotton ball or tissue

[Step 1] Paint your base color. The one I saw was purple; I decided on a slate so it would go with more.

[Step 2] Once your base dries, take white polish and make sporadic dots on your nail as desired.

[Step 3] Taking your pointed tip-in my case a pen, blot some of your black polish onto the tip and dab around the edges of the white dot. 

As you do this, you may need to use your tissue or cotton ball to wipe off excess polish from the tip so you can keep your strokes small.

[Step 4] Fill in the areas around your dots with smaller dots of black paint and little squiggles, as you see fit. 

[Step 5] Once the spots have dried some, paint your top coat over the whole nail and let it dry completely. 

I did mine a little to close to bed time, and made a couple blanket impressions while I slept. Lesson learned. 

Here is the video tutorial I saw from "theStyleChick" on Instagram, in case you're a visual learner like me.

http://instagram.com/p/kpwhwBxlws/

Go crazy and enjoy!

The One Where I Cried At Church

Yes I just titled my post like a Friends episode.
No I'm not ashamed.

Anyway, a Facebook friend shared this link, and I thought I'd pass it on. This is the video they showed in church yesterday. Very incredible story of singer Lacey Sturm, NFL player David Tyree, and Illusionist Jim Monroe. So if you read yesterday, or even if you didn't and feel like hearing some tear jerking testimony, click the link.

http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/programs/defining-moments/

Living Alive

I cried in church today.

There! I said it! They played a video about three different peoples' testimony and I cried. I can usually suck it up pretty well-I hate being "that girl"...about anything, so I try to hide it. I'm guilty of the eye-scratch, wiping away any tears that got past my stubborn steely resolve. But today, I cried. There's something about redemption that makes me tear up a bit. 

Today was different though. As I listened to those three different stories, I realized that I haven't felt in a while. It's more like a nudge on the surface. I haven't let life seep into me, and really emote any responses from me. It was one of those moments, where I kind of pulled out of my stupor, looked around at what's been going on around me, blinked to clear my vision and then felt the jab of reality. I don't know exactly what made me cry, I think it was the famous magician who had to go through killing his immune system, received a bone marrow transplant from a 19 year old girl, and hoped his body would reject this new blood. His words were something like, It was no longer me in my veins but someone else's blood filling me and making me alive. With that, I remembered The Blood. The Blood that poured out for me at Golgotha-somewhere I have seen/walked on. I haven't thought about that Sacrifice in a long time. And I think it's something that is important to reflect on frequently in order to keep you on track. 

And I have definitely not been on track. I haven't been doing anything majorly sinful, but I have turned off. I am realizing I have a bad habit of shutting off my feelings. It starts with distracting myself with something because whatever I'm feeling becomes too much-for me, it's boredom with life, ready to move on to something bigger; something different. And then, I start to pull away from making plans, going out of my way. I start to just come back to my room and spend many hours on the computer or my phone or watching movies and reading books. Anything to escape into a different reality. Then I have a moment where I start to get frustrated with how much time I'm wasting and the energy I haven't been using for anything actually good. But I go on as a robot-knowing, but not feeling. I really start to notice when I haven't gone out of my way recently to see people-aside from those I live with (praises I live with people or things could be a lot worse). And then finally, I wake up. Like I did this morning. I look around and see that I have been living quite unintentionally. 

So that's where I am. Realizing my less than inspiring habits. And recognizing its time for a change. My bad habit of turning off my feelings when I get overwhelmed has got to stop. I need to feel, even if it makes me "that girl"-the one who cries at sweet things and talks about their feelings too much. I need to feel the weight of new blood pulsing through me. That since 9th grade, when I chose to go into that water, my blood was replaced. The Blood that spilled out at Golgotha is pulsing inside of me, keeping me alive. It's sustaining everything I do. How can I take that transplant and then go on living a life that does not live up to my purpose when I was given a second chance? 

Can you imagine if the man this morning had gotten the transplant from the 19year old girl, gotten better and then turned around and cheated on his wife, left his family, and started shooting heroine into his bloodstream? It would have been a huge spit in that young lady's face, knowing she saved his life and he turned right around and ruined it.

I have been given new blood. But I am turning around and spitting in the face of the one who gave it to me. I am still living as if I am dead, not alive. 

Romans 6:11-13 says,

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness."

My bad blood has been replaced, but I am still acting as if I am dead. God has brought me out of that death, given me the purest blood possible and invited me to be an instrument in His Kingdom. I want to stop turning off my emotional response to that thought, and start really feeling it. I want to let it wreck my bones, seep all the way to my core until I don't have the strength to stand anymore under the weight of that truth. Real, raw feeling. The kind you feel when you're so overwhelmed with one particular emotion.

When I think of being overwhelmed with emotion, I think of my senior year in high school. Let me set the scene. I was in an extracurricular class called "Ready, Set, Teach", where we went off site for an hour and worked with an elementary school teacher. One day my spring semester, I was having a really tough week-stressed with school, overwhelmed about college, and had been having fights with one of my best friends. I made the decision that day that it was better that I didn't go offsite that day because I felt like my performance would be affected by my mood, but I didn't want to talk to my RST teacher about it or have to sit alone in the classroom with her for an hour. So when we all went downstairs to get on our buses, I made a bee-line to the theatre room (my home away from home) and hung out in there until the next class period. That afternoon, my dad came into my room and said the secretary at the elementary school (who was a family friend) called my dad, worried about me because I didn't show up and my RST teacher had come looking for me.
The next day, in RST, I got my first ever referral-I HATED getting in trouble at school; cried about it then, still probably would have cried now. So I had to go down to the VP, and she told me I was suspended for a day. I have never been so ashamed in my life. I didn't know how I was going to tell my parents that I got suspended from school for skipping a class! It was so out of character and I knew I would be dead meat. Fortunately, I was able to talk her into giving me Saturday School.
After school, I didn't go home. I think I had play practice, but then I just hung out in my car until church. I cried off and on all day, so ashamed that I had broken trust with my teacher, and was lying to my mom (dad already knew unfortunately). But I went into class at church that night, barely made it through the singing before I went to the back of the room, buried my face and sobbed the entire rest of the class time. I prayed fervently-more fervently than I've ever prayed in my 22 years. I was so overcome with shame, I didn't know how anyone could ever forgive me. Looking back, it was such a stupid teenager thing, but those emotions were so intense. And when I finished crying in bed that night, I felt God's peace rest on me and I knew that as stupid as my mistake was, it wasn't enough to separate me from Him and His love. 

That is the kind of earth-shaking, bone-quaking emotion that I want to fill up my life. I want to connect to God and His sacrifice truly and deeply. But also to look at those people around me, and feel such a love for them that I can't help but be emotional in one way or another with them. To feel. To feel deeply. And to stop turning the feeling off.

4 Things I Want to Say to Teens

For the past two summers, I have been given the opportunity to work as a youth intern with a youth group in my hometown. It has been a tremendous blessing and I am still in awe that I got to do it not only one, but two summers! I have got to see those teens grow and be challenged by different things in their life, and have truly come to love them more than words can say. I also am excited to be doing a different internship this summer with a new group of teens, and cannot wait to come to know them in a way that I have my OLY kids! 

In my time working with teenagers, although I am not far removed from being one myself, I have noticed that I am more sensitive to the things teenagers are encountering. From the tv shows they-and even I-watch to the clothes they wear and the messages our culture feeds to tweens and teens. My heart breaks knowing that they are being fed some of the same lies I was when I was their age-lies that so many others older than me have experienced. And I have spent the past few months just having that unsettling feeling eat at me. I speak directly to my OLY teens in my statements, but I also want to shout a proclamation to any other teens out there when I say these things. 

Maybe these will be helpful to you, maybe you have other things to struggle with, but I felt the need to share some tiny bits of wisdom from someone who was just there not long ago. When I graduated high school, my church-on Senior Sunday-had us leave a bit of advice from our experiences to those kids still in the youth group. So maybe that is what I am trying to do: share some advice from my experiences, especially now that I have been out of high school for a few years and have been able to reflect on the person I was throughout my teenage years.

1) Embrace your quirks!

Once you accept that you are weird and that's okay, others will accept it too. In case you hadn't heard, WE ARE ALL WEIRD!
Just look at some of the most popular celebs now (Ex: Jennifer Lawrence). 

Our favorite famous people are our favorites because they have accepted that they aren't always gonna come off as cool, and that's totally okay! Everyone has stupid moments-I have had more than my share today alone. So accept those weird things you like to do, don't be afraid to say you like something because you think other people will judge you, and move on with life. People will respect that you know yourself well enough to know what you like, and aren't just trying to impress others.  You were created to be a unique person-crooked nose, ant farm collection, odd sense of humor and all. In the words of my favorite poets "That's what makes you beautiful." Embrace it!

2) Being 18 does NOT make you an adult.

Trust me on this-I am almost 22 and I can't even tell you that I've fully reached adulthood. You will learn that there is no checkpoint for when you really feel like an adult (or so I hear). I have heard so many teens utter the words "I'm 18, technically I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions." Or even worse, "I can drive, I'm responsible now." No, you're not. I'm not.
So check the attitude at the door, accept that you are not fully ready to make adult decisions, and enjoy not having the responsibility that comes with adulthood while you can. 
 Wish someone had drilled that into me when I was a teen.

3) Don't lose your love for reading.
This may seem like a silly thing to share, but I have rediscovered my love for reading, and maybe its because I live with education majors who constantly talk about how important reading is to development, but I wish that I had never stopped. I would make a nice little bet that most teens were like me and as soon as reading became a requirement for school, you stopped liking books and (admittedly) spent a good number of nights on PinkMonkey or SparkNotes. 
Which is wrong, don't use SparkNotes...
[Parent moment: do as I say, not as I do. Okay, glad we're past that.] 
But I urge you guys, find books you like-take time on the weekends or instead of sitting back watching TV or Netflix-whatever newfangled mode of entertainment you kids have these days-and dive into a book you enjoy. Books are cool. Trust me. 
Reading takes you on more adventures than any movie ever can (and I am definitely a movie lover). There is nothing like living in book-world for however long it takes to read one. It seeps into every part of your life and you almost forget you're not actually living in book-world. It's GREAT! Plus books make you smarter. I can tell a difference in how I talk to other people, how I do on assignments in school, and how I think when I have been reading more frequently. So try it out. Go find a good book and chill in a library instead of on the couch one afternoon. Besides, one day, you'll be a twenty something year old, sitting in a coffee shop reading your new favorite classic literature book and meet the person you're going to marry. So that's always a plus.

4) Don't waste your energy on popularity.
First of all, popularity is incredibly relative (if you don't know what that means, Google it.)
Find who you enjoy being around, who makes you be the person you want to be, and stick with them. It will be more beneficial in the long run anyway. Friendships are such an important part of life, especially as a teenager. And that makes friendships a very fragile thing. As much as you don't want to admit it, bad friends will make an impact on you. Not that you can't be friends with everyone, but your inner circle will affect how you view life and how you feel about yourself and others. So be careful who you let into that circle, and realize that sometimes you have to cut strings with friends who don't influence you in the best ways.
Secondly, don't waste your energy trying to impress those "cool" people. It is distracting from actually finding out who YOU are as a person when you are trying with everything in you to fit into what their mold of cool is. Don't wait til later to really sit down and figure out who you are. That is something I never looked at until I was in college. I "thought" I knew who I was in middle school and high school, but I was really just trying to be acceptable enough for other people. And like I said in #1, spend time figuring out how to to accept your quirks. Ask what your strengths AND weaknesses are-not just your strengths. Figure out what you want to do with your life-not just career and college wise either. What are some things you want to accomplish in life? Even if they're absolutely bonkers, aim high! Maybe you'll never go to the moon, but it's fun to dream about it. Figure out what YOU want and who YOU want you to be.
That's a much better use of your energy than the negativity of trying to impress someone else.

I personally think teenagers are some of the most powerful people in the world. You guys just need some refocusing and encouragement! Enjoy the time you have as a teen-you're more responsible than a child, but not quite as responsible as an adult. It's the best of both worlds!