Experiencing Life (an alternative to the American Dream)

Originally written and posted by World Racer Keturah Weathers on 12/24/2009
www.theworldrace.org

I'm beginning to see that I've been selling myself short. I want to live more. I want to live better. I want to learn to be everything God created me to be, not just some of it. I think this is a good first step. People seem to think that following God is equivalent to sacrificing your personality. They think Christianity means living inside a set of rules that doesn't allow you to be yourself. It's just the opposite! C.S. Lewis puts it nicely, "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become -- because he made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be...It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own."

I'm so thankful that I've been set free from the things that I used to be so wrapped up in: the values America teaches us to be concerned with: success, stability, safety. Let's all work 5 days a week so that we can not only put food on the table and clothes on our backs, but money in the bank to buy nice things and entertain ourselves. Since when does entertainment buy happiness? We are taught to spend so much of our time working, checking things off on to-do lists, and creating a nice, comfy safety-net for ourselves. But is that all there is to life? Maybe it is for some people, but not for me.

Get me out of the 9-to-5, I want to experience life. I want to do bigger things. I want to change the world, and I want to be changed. It's not a dream too big for reality, and I will put no limitations on myself, because I am a child of God.

When I read this blog post about eight months ago, something clicked. This was how I had been feeling for nearly two years. This was the concept I had been trying in vain to put into words. This was why I wanted to come to Moody, to go into ministry, to rearrange my priorities.

What do you think? How does this apply to God's calling for you? How do you know when the calling is from him and when the "wisdom" of the world gets in the way?

Wearing Clothes

The act of wearing clothing, modest clothing, is many things. It is, of course, a way to honor and assist our brothers in Christ. It is a form of self-respect. It creates feminine mystique, which can be captivating. But tonight the women of Moody Bible Institute were introduced to the concept of clothing as an acknowledgement of our fallen nature. The following is a late-night, rambling reflection on some points made by the speakers at tonight’s all hall meeting.

Adam and Eve were not created to wear clothes. They had complete unity with each other and with God in the Garden before the fall of mankind into sin. After the fall, as well as the corruption of masculinity and femininity and the curses that come along with sin, there was this consequence: shame. They could no longer walk with God there, and they had to be clothed in animal skins.

By wearing clothes and being completely unexposed, we are accepting that we with our sinful nature are not worthy of that original unity. Not with God, and not with each other. (Of course, when Christ covers our sins the gap is bridged between ourselves and the Lord, but you get the idea.) I don’t want to try to make this more deep than it should be, but it made sense to me and I felt it should be shared.

Another very good point that was raised is that there is such a thing as going too far to the “modesty” extreme; that is, mistaking out-of-date and just plain unflattering clothes to be the most modest. There is a fine line to be drawn, and especially with today’s standards we are not to be drawn into the culture. However, the way that people see us is a reflection on God. I read an article by a young, Christian, married woman about how she dresses to please her husband and to be beautiful in his eyes, and yet she is also careful to be seen as classy and lovely to those around them so as to be a good reflection on him. I feel as though the same can be applied to us in relation to our Bridegroom. If we dress the way we do because of our convictions in Christ, we do not want the result to be a negative reflection on God. This does not mean that what is “in” should be important or even necessarily a factor, but that we should dress in a manner that is flattering enough to show that you are a woman and yet is modest enough to show that you are a lady.

Every day that I spend here at Moody is a reminder of just how passionate I am for issues relating to young women and godly femininity. I love it.

I leave you with Anne Shirley, saying severely: “Clothes are very important!” Who knew?

Expectations, Obedience, and Dating A Lot

We all have, before we ever set foot on campus, ideas about college and what life will be like while there. Well, guess what? Less than 48 hours on campus at Moody and the plans are already changing. My expectations are being blown out of the water in the most wonderful way. As for expectations that I haven’t confronted yet, I’ve received some pretty wise advice from faculty and upperclassmen already.

My Plan #1: I will live in Houghton with my roommate named Lauren.

God’s Version: I will live in Houghton with my roommateS, Lauren and Abby.

Yup, we now have three people in a two-person room, with triple bunk beds to the ceiling and lots of strategically arranged furniture. It was quite a shock at first, but we’re all being quite flexible and we’re getting along very well.

My Plan #2: I will audition for Chorale and Band, make both, and join Chorale.

God’s Version: I will audition for Chorale and Women’s Choir, make both, and join Women’s Choir.

This was clearly a God thing. For several months I have been convinced that Chorale was the place for me. When I got here yesterday, Women’s Choir was not on the agenda. However, there were several little nudges from above that I couldn’t ignore. First, I realized that I wasn’t excited about band at all, and I really wanted to sing... and also that for the first time in my life I did not feel prepared for the flute audition. That right there was a big red flag to me. So I decided that Women’s Choir would be my Chorale backup. Today I auditioned for both. Chorale was first, and everyone was incredibly nice, but they were a little skeptical about why I was trying for choir after a long history of band. Also, apparently my low range has really developed lately, because the Chorale director decided I’m an alto! Then I was stuck waiting for the Women’s Choir audition for over an hour, talking to the upperclassmen there an hearing stories, sitting randomly with a couple of the freshman girls I know and like the best so far, and hearing stories about the choir. The actual audition was even better. The director, who is the most hyper lady I’ve ever seen, was very sweet and wonderful. So when the results came up and my name was on both lists, I crossed off Chorale and initialed Women’s Concert Choir. Later, the upperclassmen who had been at the auditions visited my floor and sang “You Are My Sunshine” to Bekah and me before they gave us health forms and a little bag of candy. It made me smile. Plus, for Spring Break I get to go to British Columbia and the Pacific Northwestern states, and in May I get to go to ISRAEL for tours!!!!!

My Plan #3: I will become best friends with my roommate.

God’s Version: I have no idea yet. Maybe, maybe not.

So far, all three of us are getting along very well! I’m actually very excited about this semester. But at this point, I’ve laid the beginnings of foundations for relationships with dozens of people. How am I to know which will be soul-deep and which will only brush the surface? My prayers for my roommates and I are that we will live together comfortably and considerately, that we will spend this semester with servant attitudes and loving hearts, and that we will learn from each other.

My Plan #4: God will place me in a Practical Christian Ministry that fits my abilities perfectly, that I love, and that will give the feeling that I’m making a big difference.

God’s Version: He put me in an after school program at the Salvation Army.

Maybe I will love it. Maybe it will feel like I’m making an enormous difference. This morning, though, one of my FYT professors made an excellent point. She reminded us that sometimes we are called to serve not through our giftedness but through obedience, not in strength but in weakness. I may feel helpless, but the Spirit through me can accomplish what needs to be done. I may feel useless, but I have to trust that I am in my spot for a reason even if that reason is not revealed to me.

My Plan #5: I will find the perfect guy, know he’s the only one for me, and get married right after graduation.

God’s Version: Obviously, I do not know.

I bet you’re expecting this to be about the possible call to singleness and the point that I’m here at Moody to get my BA not my MRS. I believe both of those, but instead I will be sharing the advice of one of my FYT profs. It is her opinion that God has placed a lot of “highly qualified” individuals on campus together who have the same beliefs and the same calling, and therefore we should “date a lot!” because after all, a date isn’t a ring! While this discussion was pretty humorous, I can see where she’s coming from. But I’m not going to outline all my views on college dating in this post.

So, what I learned today in a nutshell: God’s plans are better- trust Him and be excited. Don’t subdivide the spiritual from learning. Stay away from creepy people on the street. I can be an alto now if I want. Culby 5 guys are cool. This place called Portillo’s has cake shakes, which are exactly what they sound like and really good. I really like it here.