Overjoyed

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

This quote is so beautiful, and when watching the youtube video of Meredith’s new president-elect I was happy she shared this with me.  I am overwhelmed with emotions right now, most of them positive ones that are feeding really good energy throughout my pores as this amazing holiday wraps up.  I am indeed filled with love right now; for my new friends here, falling in love, and just feeling loved returned to me from so many directions of my life (my friends here, my new family here with these people, my amazing family at home, my amazing friends in Raleigh and Laurinburg, and my community group).  Perhaps this is why the greatest gift we can give IS… love. 

I am also feeling overjoyed and when I think about why that may be it is because life seems beautiful right now.  All $3,000 we wanted to raise for the playground has been donated and I could not be more excited about the things that I am hoping will happen out there in the coming weeks.  I have heard it said by some that these kids may just use the playground for a bit, and then ruin it and our work would have been wasted.  That is they don’t have the HOPE in these children that I do, and that I know the rest of the LSCE crew does.  I see the FAITH these kids have and how no matter what material things they haven’t been given, they are so spiritually wealthy and it has been inspiring.  You can only give these children more HOPE by showing them that there is someone who does believe they can do anything.  It is important to remember that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1).  Therefore, if we love on these children and see the problems that are evident as problems and not the people as problems we can have progression.  I don’t think it is fair to see a certain people as a problem.  You can’t progress from that and that is why when someone enters a community like Lynedoch, they must do it with compassion and hope.  I couldn’t stop thinking about Corinthians 13 when I was writing all of this: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love (v13).

Another thing that stuck out in Dr. Jo Allen’s speech to Meredith College was when she spoke about change.  She talked about COMFORT as a mixed blessing, and automatically I thought about my life here in South Africa and my time in Italy.  I thought about how comforting it is to be at home, but how in both Italy and South Africa, and even at my cabin in the mountains I have a place to call home.  She reminded students that it was critical to travel new pathways.  I wouldn’t trade the things I have learned while abroad for anything in this world.  They have shaped the person I am and the way I think.  I am so thankful for the many pathways I have been able to walk down and how unfamiliar places became home to me.  I am able to learn the most about myself in these places.  Comfort can be found in many things and change is a beautiful thing if you are progressing towards peace for your life or the lives of others.

I end with this thought: Can I be this happy when there is still so much peace no left in the world?  Someone has to be there to pull you up when you are down, or rather to go and sit by you and walk with you through your hard times.  Maybe I have been given the strength of happiness for this moment so I can allow peace to grow from the happiness I may create in someone else.  I also must remember that sometime all I can do it pray.  I must believe in the power of prayer and allow the hurt I have been feeling for the people affected by the tornados to lift burdens, even from 5,000 miles away.