I’ve had a lot of weird dreams lately (which, if you know me at all, is nothing new). In the last few days I’ve dreamed that I wasn’t really a Wingfield, but an illegitimate child, that Relient K called me up on stage during a concert because they wanted to know more about Egypt, and that a creepy milk lady had a crush on my little brother.(?)Then last night I had a dream that I was given the assignment of writing a five page essay on one character trait of God. Someone picked faithfulness, someone else picked love, and someone even picked wrath. I kept trying to pick “hope”, but my professor said that it wasn’t a character trait. So then I tried to pick “hope-giver”, but he didn’t like that either. I don’t know what happened in the end because I must’ve woken up, but I like that I wanted to write about God being a hope-giver.
I don’t want to be a critic…but I want to think critically. I’ve been wondering lately if there’s a difference and I think hope may be one of the things that separates a critical thinker from a critic. I think this because any time I feel overwhelmed with the negative, I remember how good and faithful God is, and that one day He will make all things right. There is hope for restoration. It’s not simple optimism, but a realization that the world is groaning and waiting for the day when things will be made right. But even now, God is with us. I believe he can bring peace in pain and beauty from tragedy. He brings hope.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-21
I have a new teacher for the next two weeks. Her name is Dr. Brag, I think. She's really tall, older but not like super old, and a really, strong, Christian, black woman. AND I love her already.
ReplyDeleteToday on the board she drew a really pretty cloud with "...first?" written inside the pretty cloud. :) Love teachers. And she asked us "what is it that comes first in our lives as a teacher?" Then she asked what is it that fills up the majority of our time? And told us that what we all need is to "Seek first...." and quoted scripture from that John passage!
She then gave us a map for committing to a creating a plan to make God and his kingdom our first priority because life is only going to get busier. I really love her voice! I think it makes the class totally worth it! And I'm with 20 people I do not know at all, so it'll be really interesting... I hope. :)
Miss you dearly!
*and creating a plan
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