odd realizations
This has been the week for odd realizations. I looked at the tag on my Anchor Blue sweatshirt just 5 minutes ago and guess where it's made: Pakistan. Yep, just a few hundred miles from here. Odd. I am living closer to where my sweatshirt was made than ever before. But to buy it, I had to fly 10,000 give-or-take miles. That was a weird moment.
Another odd moment: I realized that rice is not a dense thing. I brought my empty weights back with me so that I could get in shape in the next 6 months. I sent out Showali for 10 kilos of rice yesterday. I never realized it before, but that is a lot of rice, volume wise. I can't even get a pound of it in my weights. I had to settle for batteries, but I only have enough to fill up one weight. Oh well.
3rd Odd realization: Tape and sticky tack do not stick to very cold walls. As I type this, another picture just fell off my wall. I had a huge poster that fell on me in the middle of the night a couple of nights ago. It caused me to have a very weird dream. I couldn't figure out why I was making so many crinkling noises.
4th odd realization: Snow is a very weird substance. It is beautiful, but I don't think I like it very much. At least not without central heating. Maybe my issue is more with cold than with snow itself. I don't know. This odd realization is still in the process.
5th odd realization: God doesn't always work the way I figure he would. I mean, I knew this before, but this week I was really challenged to accept his will and ways. I found out that there is no way that I can make it to my best friend's wedding. Yeah, major stinkage. We've been best friends for 18 or so years and I always figured I would be there. I ranted and raved and yelled, but all that I got back is that I have to trust that it is for the best. It was really tough, and in many ways I'm still not ok with it. But I also know that he is in control and will be with her on that day, even if I can't. I never thought I was really ever counting the cost, you know, of service. I enjoy it here. In many ways I like it better than the States. I've been challenged on that, especially since it turned cold, but this is the first time that I really feel that I'm missing out, really giving up something desperately important to me. And it made me mad. I figured I was already giving up creature comforts. Why should I have to give up this? I read this cool section in the Peace Maker last week that really speaks to this whole thing. At the time I didn't remember it, but as I called out to God, he brought it to my mind. I have issues trusting God and I always demand to know why things happen the way that they do. I thought I would share what I'm learning with all of you.
Here we go: "As Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, 'The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law.' This passage provides the key to dealing faithfully with painful and unjust situations. God may not tell us everything we WANT to know about the painful events of life, but he has already told us all we NEED to know. Therefore instead of wasting time and energy trying to figure out things that are beyond our comprehension, we need to turn our attention to the promises and instructions that God has revealed to us through Scripture. The Book tells us that God is both sovereign and good [check out Ps.62:11-12, my new favorite verse], so we can be sure that whatever he has brought into our lives can be used to glorify him, to benefit others, and to help us to grow. The Book also provides practical instructions on how to respond effectively to the challenges God allows in our lives. As we trust God with the 'secret things,' remember all he has already done for us, and focus our attention on obeying his revealed will, we will experience greater peace within ourselves and be enabled to serve him more effectively as peacemakers."
If you had talked to me three days ago, I would have been really angry, upset, hurt, destructive with my words; trust me, it wasn't a pretty picture. But God can do amazing things and he has in my life. I'm ok with not being able to go to Bep's wedding. Sure, it's still a huge bummer and it hurts like the dickens, but I have peace. And Bep and I will be ok, too. God is so good. I like it when odd moments and realizations turn out to be cool revelations.
Cold on the outside, but all tingling warm on the inside,
Kate
Another odd moment: I realized that rice is not a dense thing. I brought my empty weights back with me so that I could get in shape in the next 6 months. I sent out Showali for 10 kilos of rice yesterday. I never realized it before, but that is a lot of rice, volume wise. I can't even get a pound of it in my weights. I had to settle for batteries, but I only have enough to fill up one weight. Oh well.
3rd Odd realization: Tape and sticky tack do not stick to very cold walls. As I type this, another picture just fell off my wall. I had a huge poster that fell on me in the middle of the night a couple of nights ago. It caused me to have a very weird dream. I couldn't figure out why I was making so many crinkling noises.
4th odd realization: Snow is a very weird substance. It is beautiful, but I don't think I like it very much. At least not without central heating. Maybe my issue is more with cold than with snow itself. I don't know. This odd realization is still in the process.
5th odd realization: God doesn't always work the way I figure he would. I mean, I knew this before, but this week I was really challenged to accept his will and ways. I found out that there is no way that I can make it to my best friend's wedding. Yeah, major stinkage. We've been best friends for 18 or so years and I always figured I would be there. I ranted and raved and yelled, but all that I got back is that I have to trust that it is for the best. It was really tough, and in many ways I'm still not ok with it. But I also know that he is in control and will be with her on that day, even if I can't. I never thought I was really ever counting the cost, you know, of service. I enjoy it here. In many ways I like it better than the States. I've been challenged on that, especially since it turned cold, but this is the first time that I really feel that I'm missing out, really giving up something desperately important to me. And it made me mad. I figured I was already giving up creature comforts. Why should I have to give up this? I read this cool section in the Peace Maker last week that really speaks to this whole thing. At the time I didn't remember it, but as I called out to God, he brought it to my mind. I have issues trusting God and I always demand to know why things happen the way that they do. I thought I would share what I'm learning with all of you.
Here we go: "As Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us, 'The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law.' This passage provides the key to dealing faithfully with painful and unjust situations. God may not tell us everything we WANT to know about the painful events of life, but he has already told us all we NEED to know. Therefore instead of wasting time and energy trying to figure out things that are beyond our comprehension, we need to turn our attention to the promises and instructions that God has revealed to us through Scripture. The Book tells us that God is both sovereign and good [check out Ps.62:11-12, my new favorite verse], so we can be sure that whatever he has brought into our lives can be used to glorify him, to benefit others, and to help us to grow. The Book also provides practical instructions on how to respond effectively to the challenges God allows in our lives. As we trust God with the 'secret things,' remember all he has already done for us, and focus our attention on obeying his revealed will, we will experience greater peace within ourselves and be enabled to serve him more effectively as peacemakers."
If you had talked to me three days ago, I would have been really angry, upset, hurt, destructive with my words; trust me, it wasn't a pretty picture. But God can do amazing things and he has in my life. I'm ok with not being able to go to Bep's wedding. Sure, it's still a huge bummer and it hurts like the dickens, but I have peace. And Bep and I will be ok, too. God is so good. I like it when odd moments and realizations turn out to be cool revelations.
Cold on the outside, but all tingling warm on the inside,
Kate