The Bubble Effect

 

“I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for the truth; and truth rewarded me.”  -Simone de Beauvoir

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"If we stop sinking, Could we stand our ground? And through everything we’ve learned We’ve finally come to terms, We are the outsiders"

-Needtobreathe

I can't help but think about the bubble we live in.  I feel as if everyone in Holland is walking a thousand miles an hour and everything is in slow motion for me.  Do people understand that this culture we live in does not even remotely scratch the surface of the real world?  I become so incredibly upset at the lies we are fed while being in college and experiencing something that is the "greatest years of our life".  I begin to think about all of the wonderful opportunities we are missing when we seclude ourselves from the rest of society.  Where is the good in that?  I mean sure we build incredible resumes that will give us great opportunities in the future, but eventually that piece of paper will fade and be nothing more than a distant memory.  

My head spins as I think about all of the politics involved in trying to cover up a college that prides itself on proper etiquette and a certain moral code.  I just wish we could be real and come to the realization that we are not perfect.  That there is tragedy that happens and the students, faculty, and administration are NOT ok all the time.  I wanna be different.  Not because it is cool, hip, or trendy, but because I want to break free from what society has wanted to define me for 21 years.  I live in a society in which it is socially acceptable to defile and degrade women.  So much so that the words slut, whore, and bitch are taken so lightly that women begin to believe such accusations.  It kills me to think that we have reached such a low.  We live in a society in which being boring and the same is the norm and those who want to be unique and beautifully different are shunned.  When are we gonna wake up from this bubble we are immersed in?

I have become my own shade of claustrophobia.  I want to no longer be comfortable in this bubble in which I have been placed in.  I believe it is my duty as a man of God to push through the norms that society has placed on me and immerse myself in a way of living that is different.  Bubbles are not strong enough to last forever and it is my calling to break through and land among the outsiders.

"Love Will Come Set Me Free"

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:9-12
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"Does Anybody hear Her? Does Anybody see or does anybody even know She's going down today. Under the shadow of our steeple with all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me".

-Casting Crowns

As I reflect on this summer the only thing that I can think about is being overwhelmed with joy. I came to Colorado thinking that I would be on a "vacation" and could avoid all of the issues that I would face when I got back. It is funny how God works in ways that we as humans cannot explain.

This past summer I have worked at a day camp in Estes Park, Colorado and have been completely broken with God's love (not a bad thing). I had envisioned this experience to be about how I could hide as an individual and now am fully aware of God's presence in my life. While in Colorado, I faced a lot of adversity working with kids who were mostly on scholarships and had very little income. Most of these kids were beautifully misbehaved ;) and had no real discipline in their lives. At first I was extremely frustrated with the behavior of the kids but my heart quickly changed as I learned about their home-life. I have had kids who have been abused and neglected, parents with drug addictions, and the 3rd grade child who had to raise her baby brother. I never expected these situations to come up and I feel as if God has placed me here for a reason.

I came into the summer without a clue what was in store and how God would provide. I am beginning to wake up and realize that my talents and gifts are being used daily for his glory. I cannot wait to begin football and school so I can continue to grow as a person and a professional. I preached on Hope today (specifically Romans 5:3-5). In Romans it says, ...rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. I think about this verse daily and how it is so reassuring to know there is hope in the world. It is the same hope that gives me strength to wake up and do God's will. I know that God's purpose is far greater than any kind of evil or sin I will face personally or with future clients. I am so blessed to be alive and to be given the gift to "search for the hope that's tucked away in you and me"

JDub

The Beginning

“Love it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free.  Be more like the man you were made to be.  There is a design, an alignment, a cry Of my heart to see.  The beauty of love as it was made to be”

-Mumford and Sons

This is my first journal entry and I write it at one of the more pivotal moments in my life.  I find it hard at times to fathom why I am here and what God has in store for me.  Why would he instill in me a passion that is often looked down upon as “a career that will burn me out and cause extreme stress”?  I begin to play over and over in my head the hurt that I have seen in this world.  I have only lived 21 years but in those years I have seen extreme brokenness and heartbreak.  I cannot help but feel for the people I have come across who have been abused, neglected, and tempted.  I have always been taught to have a “thick skin” and not let other people’s problems affect my own life but the battle begins when I shelter myself from such issues.

 I am beginning to re-evaluate my perception of love.  You hear the word all the time being mentioned in movies and cheesy magazine headlines.  It is almost always tied with middle school crushes and worn out celebrities, but love has a much deeper meaning for me.  C.S. Lewis writes in The Four Loves: “To love at all is to be vulnerable”.  When I think of love as Lewis writes it, loves begins to make more sense.  I chose to do social work not because I wanted it to be easy and gain a lot of prestige, but because God has poured love into my heart for those who are oppressed.  My love for others opens me up to get hurt at times, but that is exactly why we choose to love.  We understand the risks that are at stake and yet we plunge into relationships and communication with others because we are called to do so.

 For me, love is not just a word or feeling, but a calling.  A calling to open and ingrain myself into building relationships with people of all types of race, religion, background, and culture.  When I think about the way Christ loves, he did so in a way that was not pleasing to societies’ desires.  He sat down with the prostitutes and the beggars and everyone else deemed inferior.  Sure he had his talks with the high priests, but he was much more interested in building relationships with what society would call the “lowest of the lows”.  It seems so simple but we are constantly fixated on our own lives and desires.  When were are comfortable is when we are most far from God.  I would much rather live a life of unease and please God than be wrapped up in comfort and regret not reaching out to those who most need it.

I have become vulnerable this summer to many situations in which I have been the one who people call on.  It has been such a humbling experience to come to the realization that I cannot and have never done it on my own.   My family and friends are what center me and God is what brings me ultimate peace when I contest my own abilities.  As I am maturing, I am starting to comprehend that I am only as strong as my faith in others, myself, and most importantly, God.

I recently got done reading a book called “Beautiful Boy” by David Sheff.  Sheff writes about his son’s addiction with Meth and the toll it took on his family.  Never in my life have I read a book that gripped me in such a way that “Beautiful Boy” did.  I read all 326 pages in two days (and if you know me at all that is highly uncharacteristic of me).  After reading the book I started to understand on a deeper level why I have been given the gifts I have been given.  I am realizing that my place is not to wear a fancy suit and tie, but rather reach out to those with no hope.  God has instilled in me a value that many tell me is a rare gift to have at my age.  The gift of loving others as it was meant to be…

JDub