the heart on my hand

its on my left hand.

its a symbol of how i want to be. freely loving. regardless of the stuff. i don't want to care about the legalistic issues. i want to care about people. i want to stop using judgment as condemnation, and start using it as evaluation. i get so caught up in things that realistically should not even matter.

and where did the spiritual arrogance that i hear in my voice come from? because i hate it. i hate knowing that it has slipped into my vocabulary. its like poison. and i cannot have it anymore.

i need to be real. and i need to be realistic.

so the heart on my hand says that i need to be as unconditional in love as i have received.

and it makes my mom talk about how she doesn't love tatoos.

following

thinking back on the year at the arbor... i remember the first few weeks, when everyone was asking about my goals, my major, and my plans for after graduation. all i could say was that i needed to go back to kenya. my degree will be in social work... and in some way, somehow i need to be helping there. and people stared. to them, africa was a faraway place... not a reality.

so i spent the year with these people. and i began to build friendships. these people became greater parts of my life, while the people from home became just a little more distant. people at the arbor saw my desires and passions.... and they saw the way that i would normally fit into that world, and they encouraged me. i appreciate that support so much.... but the thing that we were all forgetting was what God is calling me to.

i love being a part of the arbor. i love that i get the opportunity to serve as an RA this coming fall. but the problem was that i began to fall into plans... mine.

proverbs 19:21 says it best: "many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

the plans of my heart pointed towards residence life after graduation... i loved the idea. but in the back of my mind, i knew that the Lord's purpose for me was getting farther and farther away.

so i just kept getting through school and refused to stop and spend time with God about the issue. he and i both knew that something needed to be done, but i was too stubborn. finally, i came home, and i couldn't push it away anymore.

it began with a speaker at a youth function that asked "are you afraid that God is calling you to something too big?" my answer was yes. but a reluctant one.

so then sunday came. i was just chillin with my mom and a friend, with espresso in hand, my friend asked my mom if she has considered going to kenya next summer. my mom answered with "well, i know that andra is going to end up in kenya, so i don't feel like i really need to go right now. i will probably just wait until she is there."

what! i couldn't believe that my mom's faith in my going to kenya was so much stronger than my own. and the idea that my trust had fallen that far shocked me.

finally 707 ( a modern worship service at night) was the final straw. the first song was "your grace is enough" by chris tomlin... "great is your faithfulness o God, you wrestle with the sinner's heart" God had me at the first line. i have spent the last year wrestling with God about kenya. i knew it.

moving into the message. what is keeping you from following Jesus? basically, the conviction that i was experiencing was the most intense that i can remember, and my parents could feel is from 4 seats away.

there was one illustration that hit my dad: a girl felt called to teaching in the inner-city, but her parents were concerned about the danger. they wanted her to teach in a suburb, somewhere safe. and there is nothing wrong with that... except that God was not calling her to the suburb. so the girl, at 19, had to decide if she was going to let her relationship with her parents be her reason for not truly following Jesus. My dad kept leaning forward throughout the story... and then it hit him, that i am going to have to choose if a relationship is going to hold me back. And my dad knows that i love him. but he also knows that i cannot abandon God's call. and this was like a refresher for him.

in short. God took every piece of me that was resisting his call, and he proved it wrong. he took the emotion out. he brought me to a place of surrender. and i couldn't refuse anymore.

so now, its time for me to quit wasting my life making plans. its time for me to start building relationships with the African contacts that i have... and its time to actually follow Jesus.

miss independent

so i've been told that i've become very free-spirited and independent.

and i suppose its true. but the funny thing is that part of me has always wanted to be that way. i've just never really felt like it. i mean other than when i'm driving with the convertible top down on a sunny day...

but on the other hand, i don't think people realize how much i need them. not in the "i just couldn't live without you" kind of way, but rather in the "i love that you're part of my life" way. there is a reason that i have friends. i think they are awesome.

so the free-spirited idea is also up for debate. in one sense, i have become my own person. however at the same time, i can see all the ways that i have transformed and conformed to various pieces of my life. right now i feel like i'm a really fluid person. i become what i need to become based upon the situation. not that i'm a jelly-fish. just that i will adjust and compensate to be what is needed.

basically, its all about perspective. i do want to be independent and free-spirited (not in the hippie- pot smoking way) but that doesn't necessarily mean that i've arrived in either of those destinations.

empty

my room is half empty.

my first year at the arbor is almost over. the memories... the people...

i was telling a friend earlier, i think good-bye is my least favorite word. it seems as if we are always working towards an ending, but now its here, and i'm not ready.

i know this summer will be amazing and next year will be even better. but i like how things are right now. and i will miss people. i will miss this life this summer.

in short, things are getting emotional here at the dorm. leaving is never easy.

one of those days

its one of those days. on of those days when my relationship with God is clicking. when i'm making new friends, and growing closer to other friends. its just one of those days that reminds you why the difficult ones are worth it.

its not about everything in life being perfect. or about me being perfect, because i'm not. its about making the most out of whats here now.

back it up

i hate this feeling. i'm overwhelmed by emotion. and i can't really tell you why. other than this one thought that keeps running through my mind.

maybe its because you will be semi-unreachable for a few months. or maybe its that i feel like whatever "us" could have been just got shut down.

i'm not going to lie, i don't get this. i know that its your dream, but why? or a better question is why can't i support it? it probably has something to do with the fact that i don't know if this is really the best option for you. but who knows. maybe this experience will change your heart. maybe it will give you direction and passion.

regardless, if i really care the way i say i do, now is the time to back it up. its time for me to support your dreams. to encourage you, rather than asking endless questions. because if i really care, then i am going to have your back on this.

so while i'm waiting for you to come home, i'll pray. for your experience, and for my attitude.

misconceptions

perceptions.

this is what i think you think.

this is what i think you mean.

this is what gets in the way of communication. we're reading too much into everything, and thus expressing what we think the other person wants to hear.

i'm sick of that. lets say what we mean. clearly. without room for misconception. that way we don't have to fight or worry. that way we can just know that we're cool. that way we can just rest in the security of our relationship.

or maybe thats just too idealistic.