I love KCCF Bible studies. I love KCCF. I missed Friday fellowship. Due to various reasons, I hadn't attended Friday fellowship since the Friday before our retreat in February. So when I finally went back last night with a joyful heart and expectant soul, I was given a delicious taste of true fellowship once again.
The topic was God's faithfulness. I try to remember God's faithfulness to me by sitting down and listing all the blessings I could think of. One week ago, I tried to do just that--but found it extremely difficult. For every one good thing I could think of, many other negative things would crowd my mind. But having to sit down last night and think of all the ways God was faithful to me throughout my life, and listening to my brothers and sisters share, I was once again reminded that our feeble minds can limit God's work in our lives.
This year has been full of ups and downs. Through it all though, I have come to see that God is truly ever faithful. Even before He closes the doors on things in life, he opens up many more possibilities. For example, I had always intended to write an undergraduate thesis. There were so many questions I wanted to answer, I loved doing research and writing labs, it seemed as though a thesis would be the only way to quench my thirst for psychology. Yet throughout this year, God has been refining my passion--to love others with the love He gives me. After much reflection, I have decided not to write a thesis, but devote my time to other things. I'm so excited to see what God will place on my plate for next year. After all, my newest philosophy on my Queen's education is this: A Queen's education (or any liberal arts education) allows me to discover and refine my passion, and to equip me with the skills and knowledge to pursue that passion.
I'm really excited for what's up ahead!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
re:Treat
Today I returned from a Lenten Taize Retreat at Loyola House in Guelph. My aunt invited me to join her at this retreat during the Christmas holidays. It arrived at a fairly stressful time in school, but I suppose it is during these times that retreats are most effective and important.
Taize is a different type of worship and we had a total of four liturgies and Mass on Sunday throughout the entire weekend. Taize is a very specific genre of music that takes simple phrases of Biblical truths and spiritual promises, puts it to very simple music and repeats over and over again. It definitely takes an acquired taste and I know I don't enjoy it as fully as it could be enjoyed. It is very meditative and peaceful and calming. I'm planning to check out the Taize community in France after I study in England this spring.
The retreat included bountiful opportunities for silence, meditations, prayer, and reflection. I had a really good time pondering what I was doing with my life. I've been struggling lately about whether to enter grad school for psychology or teach overseas. I've always intended to enter seminary as well, but it was only a matter of when. I will do what brings peace to my heart.
During meditation this morning, I imagined myself as a wine glass and asked God to fill me up. I expected to see liquid peace and joy and hope and love flowing into the cup as wine would fill the glass; however, what I saw surprised me. I saw the hands of God lift up the cup and into the cup flowed things like poverty, the homeless, AIDS victims, the hurting, and the like. My interpretation of this is that in order for God to fill me up, He wants me to seek those who are weak and needy and have compassion on them. One thing I have learned in the past is that God commands us to be merciful and serve those in need. In serving these people, we are blessed in return for seeing God's heart more clearly.
We are blessed to be a blessing to others, but by being a blessing to others, we are blessed all the more in return.
Taize is a different type of worship and we had a total of four liturgies and Mass on Sunday throughout the entire weekend. Taize is a very specific genre of music that takes simple phrases of Biblical truths and spiritual promises, puts it to very simple music and repeats over and over again. It definitely takes an acquired taste and I know I don't enjoy it as fully as it could be enjoyed. It is very meditative and peaceful and calming. I'm planning to check out the Taize community in France after I study in England this spring.
The retreat included bountiful opportunities for silence, meditations, prayer, and reflection. I had a really good time pondering what I was doing with my life. I've been struggling lately about whether to enter grad school for psychology or teach overseas. I've always intended to enter seminary as well, but it was only a matter of when. I will do what brings peace to my heart.
During meditation this morning, I imagined myself as a wine glass and asked God to fill me up. I expected to see liquid peace and joy and hope and love flowing into the cup as wine would fill the glass; however, what I saw surprised me. I saw the hands of God lift up the cup and into the cup flowed things like poverty, the homeless, AIDS victims, the hurting, and the like. My interpretation of this is that in order for God to fill me up, He wants me to seek those who are weak and needy and have compassion on them. One thing I have learned in the past is that God commands us to be merciful and serve those in need. In serving these people, we are blessed in return for seeing God's heart more clearly.
We are blessed to be a blessing to others, but by being a blessing to others, we are blessed all the more in return.
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