Little Surprises

It's like this: on the whole, life can look kind of dull, matte, boring, and so plain. But when we zoom in, it expands, and surprises us. Here are some of the (small) surprises taking my attention right now:

I unexpectedly got an A in my violin exam. Yes, I feel like I can say this without bragging because truly, it was a surprise. Praise God, because He did it, not me! (Seriously though, I completely messed some sections up.)

I got new shoes, and although they are unlike anything I've ever had before, and I wondered how they could be 'me', I really like them. Plus, they are now the most comfortable shoes I own.

We've had some really nice meals this week. I'm sorry, but food rates pretty high in my existence. So crunchy chips made from home-grown potatoes, spicy dahl with lots of onion and garlic, and pizza really make life better, not to mention the baked apples with custard we've also had recently.

Somehow my time has multiplied not having to practice (violin) so much each day, and it's amazing to actually get things done in the day, and still have time to do other (un)important things like internet browsing, knitting, and reading.

Having something to look forward to: the Eastward Music Camp, which starts next week! Two weeks of music and time with friends sounds like a good idea to me.

I received a postcard through Postcrossing! (I talked about it here before.) I mean, if getting a postcard in the mail from someone all the way over in Germany doesn't sound exciting then... we're different; that's all. And, the photo on the front of the card is pretty close to perfect – the subject (books!), the colours, the mood.

Thinking and dreaming. I just like it; the possibilities are endless. I've been dreaming up ideas for a story, ideas for clothes to make, ideas for room decoration, ideas for travel, and ideas to add to my bucket list.

A Young Woman After God's Own Heart. It's the last book I read, and to be perfectly honest I didn't think I would get much out of it. But I found it for 20c at an op shop, so what was there to lose? Actually, there was a lot to gain. I really enjoyed working through this book, writing down my thoughts and answers to the questions it asked, and studying my Bible through the verses it recommended. It's challenged me in a lot of areas.

The joys of taking photos. I had hardly taken any for weeks, and now I've just taken a few hundred in a few days. I didn't know I missed it until I started again.

Making lists and ticking them off. I'm a procrastinator times three, and yet this works. There's just something about the physical ticking things off that is motivational.

Wearing my hair out for three days. That's a big thing because I like wearing my hair out, but it gets annoying and distracting. It's long, and it gets in my face, falls in the food I'm trying to cook, and my procrastinating self generally gets distracted with running my fingers through it and twisting it up. Anyway, even though it's been a total mess, I've left it out for three days, and that makes me feel special.

A jumper I stole borrowed from my big little brother. It's comfortable and cozy.

The internet. I know I do spend too much time on the internet, but sometimes it's just good. I like finding new blogs, interesting or deep posts, and nice photos. It's inspiration and community.

What little things are making your life better?

“This is where God is. In the present. I am – His very name.” Ann Voskamp

Love Thinks No Evil

“[Love] thinketh no evil.” (1 Corinthians 13:5)

We've all read it before, and we all know what it means. We're not to think of evil things, we're not to think evil of others. But, we're also not to think evil of ourselves. We can appreciate our need for salvation, and our unworthiness to receive it, but love thinks no evil; no evil of others, no evil of ourselves.

Think about it this way: I if saw someone and said of them, “She's ugly. She's useless. She never does anything right. How can she ever be a Christian.” You would called that thinking evil, right? Now, if I look at myself, you look at yourself, and say the same thing, how is that any different? “I'm not good enough.” It's evil thinking. Love does not do that.

It struck me from two aspects. 1) I shouldn't put myself down. I'm made in the image of a God who never makes mistakes. 2) God is love, so we ought to realize that He is not thinking evil of us either. He's not looking down wondering why we can't be better people, why we can't stop messing up, when we'll ever be good enough. Love does not think like that, and Love is God.

And that is freeing.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

 Psalm 139:17

Fierce Beauty - Book Review

It's much harder to review a really, really good book. Mediocre? That's easy, just ramble on about the storyline, and why it was good and why it wasn't. But when it comes to reviewing one of those books that is just so good, I stall. How can I put all that goodness into words? It's impossible. But I'm going to try, because Fierce Beauty is one of those books.

Fierce Beauty is all about being a warrior for the King. It's about what true beauty really is. Kim points us to the fact that God does call us to be beautiful, but not in the way we've come to understand beauty. He wants us to be beautiful on the inside where it really matters. He wants us to be fierce beauties, to fight against the lies that define who we are, and against the hopelessness that encircles our world. As Kim Meeder says, “You were not created to be a princess of entitlement but a warrior fighting to bring love and hope to the world.”

In Fierce Beauty, Kim shares many true stories from her life, each rather extraordinary. Then she expertly draws a lesson from each one, and points us back to our King and what we're really made to live for. She summarizes the book in the introduction: “The first section is a challenge to evaluate what you're honestly living for. The second section is an invitation to discover the God who offers you His eternal love, hope, and purpose. The third is an opportunity to see how you can answer God's call and begin living the life you were uniquely created for.” In each of these sections, she covers many topics like forgiveness, surrender, true beauty, trials, using our gifts even if they're small, and never quitting, ever.

This idea that being a daughter of the king meant being a warrior, a soldier fighting to the last to bring the good news about God's hope, love, and peace, really resonated with me. I'd never taken on the idea that being a daughter of God means I'm a little pink princess. Of course, it's true – daughters of kings are princesses, but it can sort of lead to an image that we sit here on earth fondling our tiaras while we wait for the King to take us to heaven. But that part isn't true; we all have work to do here, and that's where being a warrior makes more sense. We've got to be active in the cause. This book was also encouraging to me in that it said again, even if we don't have big gifts, God can still use our small things, even seemingly unimportant things like a smile. (There's a really good story in the book about the power of a smile, but I won't spoil it for you. :)

Fierce Beauty is a little different from Kim's other books (two of which are reviewed here and here), mostly because of the topic, but in my opinion it's the best. She writes descriptively and well; it was never boring, uninteresting or preachy. Instead, it's encouraging, inspiring, and motivating, and I recommend it to everyone, especially young ladies who, like me, are wondering how and where they can effectively live life and share hope.