One time, during a fairly deep theological discussion, a man told me, "Religion is a way to find magic in this world. It changes the way you see things." While I have to disagree with the word "magic" I think that this man (who was an agnostic) was getting somewhere.
My faith gives me hope in hopeless situations.
My faith lets me see light in utter darkness.
My faith allows me to find purpose in the pain.
My faith shows me careful planning in the randomness.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, and no this post isn't designed to push my faith onto you, and no I won't condemn anyone who doesn't have the same views as me. Sorry to disappoint you. If that was what you were hoping for... well unfortunately there are 100's of other blogs out there that can do that for you. I'm not here to tell you about all of that:
This post is tell you about my random life.
When people ask me about my summer, its hard for me to describe 3 months in a simple sentence. There was laughter, there were tears, there was singing, there were heartaches, there was joy, there was more than could ever be summed up by one sentence. I jumped, I ran, I swam, hiked, and fell. There were so many things, both noticeably large things and subtle little things, that happened in 3 short months. My life was changed by both the mountains and molehills. So, I guess that while a sentence may not do my summer justice, one word could:
Random.
My summer was full of showing up at the perfect time, being in the right place at the right time, being randomly prepared, talking to random people, and making random lifelong connections. I cannot describe to you how many times this summer something like this happened: I'd walk away from something I had never expected to occur, wondering how I had even gotten there in the first place, but knowing that it was exactly what needed to happen.
Random.
When I started thinking about writing this blog, I started to think about all of the random things that have happened in my life that have made me into the person I am today. The two biggest, and most obvious are:
1. My roommate was found randomly on Facebook (that's a great story that I'll probably drag out someday).
2. I randomly applied to Cedarville after finding a paper while cleaning my room (aka hard-hat required area).
Random.
I could go on for hours about the random conversations I've had that have turned strangers into friends. The extra stops that kept me from getting stuck in traffic. The random choices that have kept me from terrible injuries.
All in all, my life is Random.
But that's what I find most amazing. It's not. Even in the most chaotic events of my life, there is order and purpose. Even though I don't alway see it, I find great comfort in knowing that it is there.
Even when I do nothing to plan, Someone else is. It's amazing how many times my "gut instinct" has led to some incredible things. The more I think about it, the more amazed I become. The thought that God can turn "random" things into the most incredible blessings is absolutely heartwarming.
So yes sir, my faith does change the way I view every aspect of my life. My faith lets me feel like my life is full of meaning and purpose, even when I can't begin to imagine that being true. Sometimes I can't help but let a smile spread across my face (which gladly happened while I wrote this blog) at the thought of how the little unexpected occurrences in my life have shaped me into who I am today.
Do you know how a pearl is made? It starts as a grain of sand. Random right? But once the oyster notices it, they try to get rid of it and then a bunch of science-y stuff happens and BOOM you have a pearl.
I hope this post wasn't too RANDOM (yes I meant that). In all seriousness, I hope that this post makes you start looking at the small insignificant "grains of sand" in your life, and thinking about how they ended up becoming the most beautiful pearls that adorn your life.
