Friends, Foes, and a Trapeze Artist
As I put the last few cardboard boxes into the trunk of my family's car, I prepare to face great change when I open my eyes tomorrow. I have no reason to be surprised, it's not like I haven't seen it coming. But college has always been "the future." Tomorrow is different, because tomorrow I won't be preparing for it-- I'll be living it.
Yet, while I consider all the things that will be different for me in the next year, I also must note that there are some things that will always be the same. Perhaps these are the things I should spend the most time vetting. After all, it is these things that I will spend the rest of my life clinging to or wrestling against. They are either my closest friends or my worst enemies. Either way, I should get to know them well.
The first, and probably the most predictable, is God. The great thing about having an omnipresent God, is that there is no where you can go that He won't be. The down side of having an omnipresent God, is that there is no where you can go that He won't be. You can't run from Him, but you also can't misplace Him. God is the anchor that keeps us steady, the sails that keep us moving, and the boat that keeps us afloat. We can trust that no matter the situation, He will remain constant. We are reminded of this comfort in Hebrews 13:8, where it is written, "God is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Another consistency throughout all walks and places in life is the presence of sin. No matter how far or long we go, we cannot outrun it. Temptation, complacency, pridefulness... it will follow us wherever we wander. Christian college or not, I am sure I will face many trials and evils over the next four years. Perhaps they will not come in the same form as those found at secular universities, but they will come all the same, and they will be just as destructive as any other kind of sin.
While this may not be the happiest idea- that sin follows us everywhere- acknowledging it is very important. It is when we admit our failure to overcome sin that we begin to allow God to be our strength. We may never be able to escape the pressures of sin, but God has destroyed it's power over us through the cross.
The third and final thing that will remain constant no matter the circumstance is the tension of the in-between. It's what many people refer to as "the gray area." Between what, you ask? Between anything and everything. The tension between good and evil. The tension between good works and earning salvation. The tension between appreciating what you have and knowing that others struggle to survive. The tension between living every day to the fullest and knowing that we can never be satisfied until we reach eternity. Our faith is a balancing act, and we are the trapeze artists suspended over a gulf of "in between."
God, sin, and the in-between, the three constant friends and foes that will follow wherever we go. Tomorrow, when I write my blog post again, nothing will be the same. And yet... everything will be, it will simply be the same in a different place. It is for this reason that I prepare myself for a constant struggle, while praising God for all that He promises me. And tonight, I will sleep in the in-between-- the moment where tomorrow has not quite arrived, and yet today has already gone. It is in this quiet place that God stirs, planning for a future that has not yet been revealed.
"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." -Psalm 23:6
Yet, while I consider all the things that will be different for me in the next year, I also must note that there are some things that will always be the same. Perhaps these are the things I should spend the most time vetting. After all, it is these things that I will spend the rest of my life clinging to or wrestling against. They are either my closest friends or my worst enemies. Either way, I should get to know them well.
The first, and probably the most predictable, is God. The great thing about having an omnipresent God, is that there is no where you can go that He won't be. The down side of having an omnipresent God, is that there is no where you can go that He won't be. You can't run from Him, but you also can't misplace Him. God is the anchor that keeps us steady, the sails that keep us moving, and the boat that keeps us afloat. We can trust that no matter the situation, He will remain constant. We are reminded of this comfort in Hebrews 13:8, where it is written, "God is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Another consistency throughout all walks and places in life is the presence of sin. No matter how far or long we go, we cannot outrun it. Temptation, complacency, pridefulness... it will follow us wherever we wander. Christian college or not, I am sure I will face many trials and evils over the next four years. Perhaps they will not come in the same form as those found at secular universities, but they will come all the same, and they will be just as destructive as any other kind of sin.
While this may not be the happiest idea- that sin follows us everywhere- acknowledging it is very important. It is when we admit our failure to overcome sin that we begin to allow God to be our strength. We may never be able to escape the pressures of sin, but God has destroyed it's power over us through the cross.
The third and final thing that will remain constant no matter the circumstance is the tension of the in-between. It's what many people refer to as "the gray area." Between what, you ask? Between anything and everything. The tension between good and evil. The tension between good works and earning salvation. The tension between appreciating what you have and knowing that others struggle to survive. The tension between living every day to the fullest and knowing that we can never be satisfied until we reach eternity. Our faith is a balancing act, and we are the trapeze artists suspended over a gulf of "in between."
God, sin, and the in-between, the three constant friends and foes that will follow wherever we go. Tomorrow, when I write my blog post again, nothing will be the same. And yet... everything will be, it will simply be the same in a different place. It is for this reason that I prepare myself for a constant struggle, while praising God for all that He promises me. And tonight, I will sleep in the in-between-- the moment where tomorrow has not quite arrived, and yet today has already gone. It is in this quiet place that God stirs, planning for a future that has not yet been revealed.
"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." -Psalm 23:6
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